Finding Her Hero
by CheerfulChemist
Summary: This is an AU story that takes place right after Castle beats Lockwood's face in, in Knockdown. Kate decides to stay with Castle until he can use his hand again.
1. Chapter 1

Finding Her Hero

Chapter 1

Kate climbed into the back of the ambulance where Castle was gingerly pressing a cold pack against his swollen hand. "How are you doing, Chuck Norris?"

"I'll live," Castle replied. "I'll be going to the hospital for x-rays. Good thing Josh is in Africa. I don't think I could handle Dr. Motorcycle Boy's smirk right now. But what's important is we got that bastard before he could take out Ryan and Esposito or kill you. How are the boys?"

Kate took the cold pack from him and held it against his wounded knuckles. "Mild hypothermia and wounded pride. But Espo is already saying how he would have tackled his would-be killer if we hadn't shown up. And they're both bragging about how they trash talked while he was torturing them. By the time they get to the precinct tomorrow, they'll both be ready to take over from Bruce Willis in his next Die Hard movie. So is this episode going to transform into a Nikki Heat adventure in your next book?"

Castle shrugged. "If I can get it down. I don't think I'll be doing much typing for a while unless I do it one-handed."

"Listen, Castle; I'm going to drive you to the hospital," Kate said.

"You don't have to do that, Kate. The paramedics can drop me off."

"I want to do it," Kate insisted. "You had my back in there. Now I'm going to have yours."

* * *

Castle emerged from the treatment area with his hand encased in plaster. "Is it broken?" Kate asked, stroking his arm.

"In four places. The doctor said I was lucky that I'm not going to need surgery. Even so, I'm going to be in a cast for 6-8 weeks. And after that, I may need some physical therapy."

Kate winced. "And it's your right hand. Can you use it at all?"

"I can wiggle a couple of my fingers a bit, and it's supposed to get better as the swelling goes down. I'll be all right."

"I guess taking care of you will be keeping Alexis and Martha busy for a while," Kate guessed.

Castle shook his head. "They're already busy. Alexis is working on a big project for the model U.N."

"Oh, I did that when I was at Stuy," Kate recalled. "It's a lot of work."

"Uh huh," Castle agreed. "And she has a couple of AP classes on top of it. Mother has a new play, so she'll be in rehearsal, getting her costumes fitted, and generally executing her grand diva duties. She's going to have an out of town opening next month. Maybe I'll get one of those home health aides, although I have this scary picture in my mind of nurse Rached."

"You don't have to do that, Castle. I can stay with you."

"What about Josh?" Castle asked. "He won't be crazy about you being under the same roof with another man - especially me."

"We weren't exactly on the best terms when he took off," Kate explained. "He seems to think that it's no big deal that he just disappears from my life for months at a time. You know, one of the things that attracted me to him is that he is involved with so many good causes. It gave me a chance to have one foot out the door. But isn't it strange that the things that draw you to a person are the things that end up driving you crazy? Now I really want someone who'll be there for me, and I can be there for him, and we can dive into things together. Josh and I never had that. I don't think we ever will."

Warmth flooded Castle's chest. "You broke up?"

"More like drifted apart. But we're not together, Castle, and he has no expectations that we will be when he comes back to New York."

"Well, if the most beautiful and talented homicide cop on the force is willing to dwell in the Castle abode for a while, I'm not about to protest," Castle declared. "Thanks."

* * *

Kate stuffed clothes into her duffel bag. When she'd dropped Castle at the loft, he'd been alone. He'd said the housekeeper was due to come in for a couple of hours to vacuum and straighten up, but she still didn't want to leave him for long. He was pretty loopy from his pain medication. She'd tried to talk him into lying down for a while, but he'd insisted he wasn't sleepy. She'd left him watching an old Lance Delorca film, and she didn't want the kick-ass hero to give him any more ideas. The next time, he could suffer something worse than a broken hand.

Kate froze for a moment when the full realization of what Castle had done hit her. After he'd kissed her silly to fool an armed guard, he'd followed her into a nest of gun-wielding men. She had her weapon, but Castle had nothing but his nerve and his wits. He wasn't even wearing his vest, not that it would have worked in their drunken lovers' charade. Rick had launched himself at a stone killer with nothing more than his bare hands - and he did it to save her. She couldn't think of a cop who'd do that, let alone a civilian. She shook herself. "People do strange things in the heat of the moment," she muttered and crammed more underwear into her luggage.

* * *

Castle groaned in frustration. He'd managed his zipper - barely. He imagined himself sticking to sweatpants and T-shirts for a while. Even if Kate was with him, he couldn't ask her for that kind of help, although the idea did conjure up some exciting and arousing imagery. Much as he might wish otherwise, she was his partner, not his lover. But that kiss! Even with mind-deadening drugs dulling his senses Rick could still feel the touch of her on his lips and the taste of her in his mouth. It was a taste he wanted to experience again, but somehow, he didn't see distracting another gunman in the immediate future. Still, it would be nice to have her around. It would be better than nice; it would be incredible. He'd just have to get used to cold showers.

* * *

"What the hell do you mean that McAllister and Lockwood are both in jail?" the politician demanded. "I sent Lockwood out on a simple hit. He ends up losing five men and the police have two potential witnesses against me."

"Lockwood's not going to talk," Bill Moss assured his boss. "He knows what will happen to him if he does. And McAllister's kept his mouth shut all this time. No reason to think he'll open it now."

The pol jammed his hands into the pockets of his custom-tailored suit "We didn't think Raglan was going to spill his guts, either. But if Lockwood had been a minute later, Kate Beckett would have gotten the whole story. She's been kept under control so far, but we'll have to keep a close watch on her and that writer who follows her around. I don't want to have to take either of them out if we don't have to. There would be too much press. But if Beckett or Castle gets too close, you have a green light to pull in anyone we need, to take care of the situation."

Moss nodded. "Yes, sir. They'll both be under surveillance, 24/7.


	2. Chapter 2

Finding Her Hero

Chapter 2

"Castle, are you sure you want to come with me to the precinct today?" Kate inquired. "I can always come back at lunch to check on you and fill you in if we get another case."

"I'm sure. The voice to text program I was trying to use, seems to be mixing me up with Glortch from Planet Mumble. With one hand, I'd spend more time fixing the gibberish on the page than crafting anything substantial. And I may be able to employ any fantasies Ryan and Esposito spin about their encounter with Lockwood, as dialogue for their counterparts at the 23rd Precinct. We should stop on the way and pick up some doughnuts. Espo is always more voluble under the influence of powdered sugar."

"I'm not sure I want him to mouth off any more than he already does, but the bullpen would enjoy a snack that is less than a day old. We can get an assortment at Hole Hospitality," Kate suggested.

The name of the pastry vendor sent images rushing through Castle's head and blood rushing elsewhere. He swallowed. "Sounds good."

Ryan was just putting down his phone as Kate and Castle got off the elevator. "Hey, Castle! How's the hand?" Without waiting for an answer, he held up a sticky note with an address on it. "Beckett, body just dropped, and I do mean dropped."

Kate stared down at the dead woman on the sidewalk. Drying blood surrounded her on the pavement, and her limbs were at impossible angles. Lanie knelt by the corpse inserting a temperature probe. "I guess I don't have to ask the cause of death. She must have taken a hell of a plunge," Kate remarked, looking up at the edifice that towered above them.

"She took a plunge, all right," Lanie agreed, "but it wasn't the cause of death. She was stabbed, severing her aorta. From the angle at which she fell, she was pushed or thrown. It would have taken a lot of muscle to penetrate her chest that way and to lift the body, so our killer was probably a man."

"Wow! Some angry guy!" Castle exclaimed.

"Or a crazy one," Kate responded, turning to Ryan and Esposito. "You two set up a canvass. Castle and I will try to locate the stabbing zone." Entering the lobby of the building, she waved Castle toward the elevator. "Might as well start at the top and work down."

Castle's eyes swept from the curve of her lips to the firmness of her thighs. "A strategy I've always favored."

As Rick and Kate emerged from the door that led to the roof from a final flight of stairs, she spotted splatters of reddish brown on gravel topping the surface. She thrust out her arm to keep Castle from walking any farther. "This is it. Palming her radio, she called in uniformed cops to secure the scene and requested the services of CSU.

"That is a lot of blood," Castle observed. "With a spray like that, the killer had to get some of it on him."

"You're right," Kate agreed. "The rough surface up here won't hold shoe prints well, but there might be signs of it that will show up on the stairs. We'll have to check for security cameras too. With luck, there'll be some video. And the boys' canvass should turn up something. Even in New York, a man with blood all over him would have been noticed."

"Unless our killer cleaned up. When we got off the elevator to climb the remainder of the way up here, I noticed restroom signs. They probably have them on every floor And, if our perp works in the building, he might have had spare clothes stowed somewhere."

"You're right, Castle," Kate agreed. "But once we get CSU up here with some luminol to light up whatever blood trail there is, we'll have a better idea of where our killer went and maybe even what he did."

* * *

Mellie replaced her barbell in its rack. Sweat covered her body, but she felt better. Her anger had not cooled in the fountain of blood or seeing the toy-like image of Sheila's body on the pavement below the roof of the building where she'd drawn her last faithless breath. But a good workout helped Mellie smooth out.

She'd come back from the gym that morning craving a protein boost and hoping to find her partner in the kitchen. But Sheila wasn't there. It seemed like she had hardly been there for a long time. Even when her beautiful body was present in the apartment they shared, her mind wasn't. She was always mentally reviewing sales figures or planning some new deal.

Sheila had missed Mellie's match the night before, too. It had been the big one, for all the marbles. And Mellie had been victorious, but she'd had to celebrate her win alone. She hated being alone. It didn't use to be that way. When she and Sheila had met at the club, there had been an instant connection. Within a week they'd become almost inseparable. Mellie had trained, and Sheila toiled at her desk, but they'd spent as much time together as they could. Sheila kept a quilt in her office, which she'd spread on the gritty texture of the roof. They'd shared meals and other pleasures there, under the sun and even sometimes under the stars. But things had changed, Sheila started skipping breakfast and working through lunch. If she spent any time on the roof with Mellie, it was usually to vape, a habit Mellie despised.

That morning Mellie decided she'd bring Sheila breakfast. Instead of downing her energy shake, she'd made fresh carob bread and grabbed a knife to cut it and a couple of bottles of juice. She'd put them in a tote and headed to Sheila's office. There had to be a way her partner could cram that small a meal into her schedule.

Sheila had urged Mellie up to the roof but didn't bring the quilt. "Look, Mellie," she said, "I didn't want to embarrass either one of us in front of my colleagues, but I just can't have you doing this. I'm competing with all those men down there for a vice presidency. You know as well as I do, maybe better, than a woman needs to work twice as hard as a man to be seen as half as good. And to have you come here with food, it makes it look like I'm slacking off. You need to keep your distance."

Mellie had understood. She could have waited. She'd asked Sheila when things would get back to normal. But Sheila just shook her head and said that if she got the promotion, she'd be even busier, and if she didn't, she'd have to keep working hard to prepare herself to snag the next one. She wasn't going to have as much room in her life for Mellie anymore.

Mellie barely remembered what came next. She'd grabbed the knife from her tote and plunged it into Sheila's chest. Sheila's blood mingled with the red haze obscuring Mellie's sight as she tossed the useless body away. She took the stairs, not only from the roof but all the way down, leaving the building by a side door to an alley. Somehow, Mellie made her way to the gym, stumbling into the shower before retrieving work out clothes from her locker. Drawing strength from the depths of her wounded soul, she easily pressed the most massive weight she'd ever lifted, over her head.


	3. Chapter 3

Finding Her Hero

Chapter 3

Choosing a task readily done one-handed, Castle scanned through the video from the Templar Building, where Sheila Rattinger's murder had taken place. There wasn't much of it. Cameras were restricted to the lobby, the elevators, and the restroom doors. So far, no blood-soaked suspects had shown up, and Castle didn't really expect one would. Under CSU's UV lights, luminescent specks had led to the stairs rather than the elevator, and then to a back door. From that point, there had been too many cross reactants with the luminol to determine the killer's path. Unis were still conducting a canvass but had yet to turn up a witness to a blood-spattered figure. Rick sighed as Kate approached the workstation he was using. "This is useless!"

She put a hand on his shoulder. "I figured that, as soon as I saw where the blood led, but we have to pursue every possible lead. You know that, Castle. If we didn't scrub the video, some lawyer could use a phantom suspect to develop an alternate theory of the crime. Having you do this is worth it, just to exclude that possibility. But you can finish it later. I found out which office Sheila Rattinger worked in. Let's go interview her colleagues."

"You don't have to ask me twice," Castle said.

* * *

"Yeah, I saw Sheila leave," Kyle Vettmer recalled. "She was with her, uh, girlfriend; if you know what I mean."

Castle's eyebrow rose. "Girlfriend?"

"Uh huh. First time I've seen her here in a while, but she used to come all the time. Nellie or Kelly or something like that."

"Can you describe her?" Kate asked.

"Can I be blunt?" Kyle asked.

"It would save time," Castle put in.

"In that pair," Kyle responded, "Sheila was the lipstick, you know, the girly one. Nice clothes, heels, expensive hairstyle; the whole deal. Her friend was the lumberjack shirt and hiking boots. Not literally, but she had muscles on her, the kind that are on that bitch who yells at the fatties on that reality show. I wouldn't have wanted to piss her off."

"Did she look pissed off?" Kate asked.

Kyle shrugged. "Not when she was in here, but Sheila didn't look too pleased when her friend showed up, so they might have gotten into it once they left."

"We appreciate your help Mr. Vettmer," Kate said, handing him her card. "If you think of anything else, please let me know."

Kyle ran his fingertips through his $200 haircut. "Detective Beckett, you can count on it."

"Vettmer was hitting on you," Castle observed as he and Kate entered the elevator to leave the office complex.

"He's not my type. I'm more of a fan of guys who put the words on the pages, than the ones who shuffle them around."

Castle's eyes widened. "Why Katherine Beckett, I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"Don't let it go to your head too much, Castle. It's been a long day since I made breakfast and we skipped lunch. I think I'm just hungry."

"That makes two of us." Castle checked his watch. "It's about time for an early dinner and Alexis has fencing after school today. We can go anywhere you like. My treat."

* * *

From across the street, Mellie could see the cops parked in front of her apartment building. She didn't dare go any closer. She didn't have much cash on her, but she had her ATM card, and her credit cards were paid up. She could get a motel room. It couldn't be in Manhattan, the price of that would mount up way too fast, and if the cops were looking for her, she'd be too easy to find. But New Jersey was as close as any of the boroughs, and there would be no N.Y.P.D. There was a pretty good gym in the old Ironbound section of Newark, where all they cared about was whether you could pay for your time. The earnings from her last few bouts would last a while. She could keep up her training until she figured out what to do next.

* * *

In the interest of speedy appeasement of an empty stomach, Kate had settled on a nearby Soup, Salad, Loaf, and Sweetness. Castle was relieved she hadn't chosen a steakhouse. He could manage a spoon and fork, but having Kate help him cut up his meat in public was not a prospect that appealed to his male ego. Kate told him that the family that ran the restaurant had been old friends of her Nonna and had taken custody of her talented ancestor's recipe for minestrone. He did find the savory soup satisfying, especially when combined with olive oil-dipped bread and fresh greens. At the end of the meal, he and Kate split a piece of tiramisu.

"Back to the precinct or the loft?" Castle inquired of Kate after he'd paid the check and added a hefty tip.

In response, Kate checked the messages on her phone. "The boys searched Sheila Rattinger's apartment and came up with some papers belonging to a Melody Mayfair. She's a professional fighter in mixed martial arts - the kind where there aren't any rules. She goes by Mel the Pelter."

"Kyle said Sheila's girlfriend was Nellie or Kelly. It could have been Mellie," Castle mused. "The description of her physique would certainly fit. Is there a photo of her? There must be publicity shots."

"The guys just sent her DMV photo, but you're probably right about PR pictures, Castle. We can dig some up tonight on your computer and print them out on that high-end printer you have. It's better than department issue. We can take them by Sheila's office tomorrow morning and see if Kyle or anyone else there recognizes them. The boys will be starting a new canvass too, now that we have a suspect. There's a unit watching the apartment, and there's a BOLO out. Someone will spot Melody."

"Sounds like it's back to the loft then," Castle concluded.

"Uh huh. You should get some rest, anyway."

"Kate, I'm fine, but I'm touched by your concern."

"Yeah, well, you're not the one who is going to get the dirty look from Alexis for working her disabled dad too hard."

Castle winced. "I know that look. The temperature drops 20 degrees every time you're in her sights. Last time I got one, it took me two weeks of dishwashing duties and tickets to a Taylor Swift concert to get back in her good graces. I didn't know she ever aimed one at you."

"It was the time when you almost missed a reading, and she had to cover for you."

"That must have been at the bookstore where you showed up in a dress designed to break the concentration of any male within viewing distance. You succeeded handily. Not only did I muff the last sentence of my reading, I didn't even notice how Alexis looked at you. I was too busy staring at you myself. Not that I regret a moment of admiring your svelte magnificence."

"Castle, I think the doctor's happy pills are still affecting your mind."

"Kate, I ran out of the ones the hospital gave me, this morning, and I didn't have the prescription filled. I'm on over the counter now. My mind is clear, and the image of you in that dress is burned into it."


	4. Chapter 4

Finding Her Hero

Chapter 4

Mellie was feeling like crap. She was tired and nauseous. Worse, she couldn't lift a weight she had easily pressed days before. She missed Sheila, but her body missed something else even more. She knew where to get it in New York. There were several suppliers in the city who'd fallen all over themselves to sell it to her. But she didn't know about New Jersey, and she wasn't sure who'd be safe to ask.

She regarded the other occupants of the gym. They were working hard, but most of them could have used more muscle mass. If they were getting the right boost, they'd have it. Her gaze shifted to a man at the heavy bag. The bulge of his biceps and the look in his eyes told her that he knew where to get what she needed. She'd just have to consider her approach.

* * *

Kyle smoothed the fabric of his Brooks Brother's suit. "So nice to see you again, Detective. Oh, and hello, Mr. Castle. What can I do for you?"

Kate handed him several action shots of Melody Mayfair in battle that Castle had captured from the web. Is this Sheila Rattinger's girlfriend?"

Kyle stared at the photographs. "Whoa! When she was here, she was wearing a lot more clothes. But yeah, that's her." He scanned the legend on one of the photos. 'Mel the Pelter,' huh? It fits. Did she kill Sheila?"

"Right now, Mr. Vettmer, all I know is that she was the last one to be seen with Sheila," Kate responded. "That means I need to talk to her. But thank you for confirming her identity."

"Sure, Detective. Anything else I can do, let me know."

"She'll be sure to do that," Castle interjected.

Castle awkwardly shut the car door as he settled into the passenger seat of Kate's unit. "He's still trying to hit on you."

"Castle, I don't understand why it bothers you so much. He's a potential witness in a case. Even if I were interested, I couldn't do anything about it. Any evidence I got from him would be suspect."

"It just annoys me when men do that to you, that's all," Castle claimed. "You are a professional doing your job. It's disrespectful and demeaning."

"Seems to me when I first brought you in for questioning, you didn't think so, Castle. If I recall, you offered to let me spank you."

Castle blew embarrassed air through his lips. "You're right. Mea culpa. But I'd like to think I've evolved since then. I mean, I hope you think so."

A smile tugged at the corners of Kate's mouth. "You have your more mature moments."

"Then tell me, you like Melody Mayfair for this one, don't you?"

"Of course, I do Castle, but that's a long way from proving anything. Now that we know for sure that it was her at the Templar building, we can check the traffic cams for her car around the time of the killing. We'll pull her financials and put a watch on her bank account and credit cards. And you can finish scrubbing the security footage you were looking at yesterday, too."

"Ooh, I was hoping you'd forget about that."

"Castle, I never forget the important stuff."

* * *

Rick plopped onto the couch in the loft. His hand ached and scanning video for someone who wasn't there was not his idea of fun. At least Kate had better luck. Melody Mayfair's car had been caught pulling away from the murder scene. She'd withdrawn the maximum amount of cash she could from a location near her apartment, and her credit card had been used at a gym and a motel in Newark. Now it was just a matter of getting through the jurisdictional morass to get the New Jersey State Troopers to locate her and pick her up. Until then, he and Kate would just have to wait.

Kate filled two glasses with red wine and offered one to Castle. He gazed into the astringent liquid. "Thanks, I can use that."

Kate regarded the darkening shadows under his eyes. "You look beat, Castle. Hey, I've had a broken bone or two myself. It can be pretty draining, especially in the first few days. You should get some rest. Alexis is shut up in her room studying for an exam. Martha's at the theater. We could both call it an early night, start fresh in the morning."

"You may be right," Castle acknowledged, downing his wine. Placing his glass on the coffee table, he pushed himself up from the sofa cushions. "Good night, Kate."

Kate ran her fingertips over the plaster of his cast. "Good night, Rick."

* * *

She-Hulk stomped her way onto a roof, her muscles expanding at every step. Her green face was contorted in anger as she plunged the knife that appeared in her grasp into the chest of the woman in front of her. But it wasn't Sheila Rattinger. The figure was taller, with brown hair and startling hazel eyes. It was Kate, oh God, it was Kate, whose blood geysered from the gaping hole between her breasts. She-Hulk picked her up, lifted her over her head and bounded toward the roof's edge. "No!" Castle yelled, sitting upright, with pain shooting up his arm as he'd unconsciously used his broken hand to support himself. "Beckett, No!"

Kate came running into the room, with Alexis and Martha right behind her. She flicked on the light. "Castle!"

"Dad, are you all right?"

"Richard?"

Castle struggle to emerge from a haze of pain and confusion. "Um, yeah, ladies, fine. Just a bad dream. Sorry, I woke you. Nothing to worry about."

Martha gazed at him doubtfully. "Richard, are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure, Mother. You should go back to bed."

Martha's eyes narrowed. "Well, if you're sure."

Martha ushered Alexis out, and Kate turned to follow.

"Kate," Castle whispered, his voice rasping. "Can you stay a minute?"

Kate sat on the side of the bed. "What's going on, Castle?"

"My dream was about the case, Kate. The case - and you. It was you who was about to be thrown off a roof - by a monster."

Kate smoothed the collar of his pajamas. "Castle no one is going to throw me off a roof. And there are no monsters, except for human ones."

Castle reached for her hand. "That's exactly the kind I'm afraid of. And I don't mean Mel the Pelter. Sheila's murder just triggered the dream. Kate, whoever sent Lockwood after Raglan is still out there. He doesn't know that Raglan didn't have a chance to tell you much, or that McAllister didn't give him up either. He could come after you, Kate. Lockwood may be in prison, but his boss could send someone else. After all, Lockwood is a successor to Coonan."

Kate curled her fingers around his. "I know, Castle. That's why I'm going to visit Lockwood every week, while prison wears him down. Sooner or later he's going to give up something."

"Kate, are you sure that's a good idea? A move like that may just push McAllister's dragon, whoever he is, to come after you."

"I don't think so, Castle. If I'm leaning on Lockwood, his boss will know that Raglan and McAllister didn't spill anything. It could lull him into complacency. Then when I do finally have something, I can go after him."

Castle caressed Kate's hand with his thumb. "Just be careful, Kate. I'm not in a condition to jump another assassin for you, yet."

"Don't worry, Castle. You won't have to."

A/N Guest, I made up the name of the restaurant. It is descriptive of the menu, and I wish it existed. 😊


	5. Chapter 5

Finding Her Hero

Chapter 5

"What do you have from our team on Beckett?" the pol asked.  
"Not much so far, sir," Bill Moss reported. "She and the writer are working on a murder. We only need one team for the two of them. Ever since he took out Lockwood, she's been staying with him."

The pol ran a hand over his face. "I thought she had better taste. The last one was a doctor, wasn't he?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well, it will just make it easier to take them out together, if it comes to that. I'm going to be working on that environmental crap. I can pick up a lot of young supporters that way. But keep me updated. If Beckett starts digging into her mother's case again, in any way, I want to know about it. Now, how's our fundraising operation going?"

"Very well sir, but Simmons does have an ego on him."

"That's not bad if he's going to make a convincing frontman but keep a watch on that too. Are our guys solidly planted in his organization?"

"Yes, sir. He believes they're his connection to distribution by the Russian mob."

"Excellent! Then everything is under my control."

"Yes, sir," Moss agreed, "it is."

* * *

Harvey Meyer toweled off after his shower. He'd been working out hard enough for his presence in the gym to be convincing. Lance Dickerson had already approached him about obtaining more juice, and he'd also noticed the new woman in the gym contacting Lance. She looked like a user too. He wasn't crazy about having to funnel the junk to either one of them, but if he was going to keep up his undercover position in the organization, it was necessary. He just hoped it wouldn't be much longer until he'd tied down the overseas connection and could take the whole ring down. As soon as he pulled his clothes on, he checked his encrypted phone for updates. He whistled softly as he stared at the screen. His new potential customer was a suspect in a New York City murder and a pretty grisly one at that. He couldn't arrest her himself without blowing his cover, but he could send out a notice that he'd spotted her.

* * *

"Melody Mayfair is in New Jersey?" Castle repeated.

"That's the last place she was seen," Kate confirmed, "A gym called Renaldo's, in Newark. You had a pretty rough night. Feel up for a road trip?"

"It'll be a hell of a lot better than scrolling through video at the precinct."

"Castle," Kate requested as she drove down the New Jersey Turnpike, "can you check my phone for any updates on Melody? I should be getting alerts about where she's using her credit cards or an ATM."

"You're allowing me to touch the vaunted N.Y.P.D. issue cellphone? I am honored and humbled."

"Just check for alerts Castle. If you get into my personal stuff, more than your hand will be broken," Kate warned.

"Copy that," Castle agreed, but I will need your pass code or the touch of your lovely if deadly finger."

Keeping her left, firmly on the wheel, Kate extended her right hand and pressed her thumb against the home key of her phone as Castle held it up. The screen flared to life, listing two messages marked with an exclamation point. "She used her ATM card again, Beckett; withdrew $2500. That must be her max. And there's a charge here from a motel, Ironbound's Fine Nest. Slightly imaginative pun. Looks like the same general area as the gym where she was spotted."

"I didn't know you were so up on Newark geography, Castle."

"I researched it when I was thinking about setting a scene for Derrick Storm there. But after the mayor ran into a burning building to save a kid, it seemed anti-climactic somehow. Hard for pretend heroes to compete with real ones. I have a hard time making Nikki live up to you."

"That's sweet," Castle. Let's check Reynaldo's first, and if Melody isn't there, we can go to the motel. If she's in either location, we can call in the locals for support. We'll have to clear it with them before we get her transported back to New York anyway."

"I'm surprised you're not using Ryan and Esposito on our little expedition," Castle said.

"They're off today. There's an intradepartmental 10K run. Espo is competing, and Ryan is his cheering section. 1PP is going to use the winner in a PR campaign."

"Espo must be champing at the bit to get his close-up," Castle speculated. "He's still bragging about being on the N.Y.P.D. calendar, but I think that was a few hundred doughnuts ago. Maybe a few thousand."

"And some of those bacon brownies you put him onto."

"Touché, Detective. Hey, looks like we're almost to Newark. That should be your turn-off coming up. Should I ask Siri for directions the rest of the way?"

"Sure, Castle go ahead. But I'm surprised you're asking a woman for directions."

"Beckett, are you kidding? With Mother and two ex-wives, I've had to learn how to take them. But it was never as much fun as it is being ordered around by my partner in crime fighting."

A half-hour later, Kate pulled up in the parking lot of Renaldo's. She took her badge from her waistband and stuffed it into the pocket of her jeans, then started to unbutton her blouse.

Castle wiggled his eyebrows. "Kate, I'm not complaining, but I wasn't expecting this."

Kate finished stripping off her shirt to reveal a tank top underneath. "Your fleeces will be fine for a gym, Castle, as long as no one sees the expensive label. But I need to fit the part if we're going to get a decent look around." She reached up to muss his hair.

"Kate, you're spoiling a lot of hard work," Castle protested. "I had a hell of a time combing my subtle strands this morning. Doing it with my left hand makes everything go in the wrong direction."

"Sorry, Castle. The cast works, but your haircut is too upscale for this joint. It probably wouldn't hurt if we looked a little sweaty, too. We should run around the building a few times before we go in."

"I have a better idea," Castle offered, leaning in and cupping her face with his good hand. "This worked before."

Kate didn't even try to pull away as his lips approached hers; her fingers driving his hair into further disarray as she pressed against him. She forgot about Melody Mayfair and the murder. She even forgot they were in New Jersey. There were only the two of them, suspended in time and space, the heat of their bodies struggling for deeper contact; challenging the chill of the air. This time Kate wasn't keeping one eye on a gunman. Both of them were firmly closed. The roar emanating from a faulty muffler of a truck on the road nearby shocked her to reality. She stepped back slightly, panting to catch her breath. "I think that did it, Castle. We should go in now."

"What?" Castle responded. "O yeah, right. Melody Mayfair. The case."

Kate doubled checked the gun in her ankle holster before walking a few steps toward the building. She turned back to face Rick. "Castle, are you coming or not?"

He hurried after her muttering to himself. "Not yet, but that was damn close."


	6. Chapter 6

Finding Her Hero

Chapter 6

The squat figure behind a battered desk at the entrance to Reynaldo's eyed Kate and Rick appraisingly. "If you want to work out here, you can either buy a membership or pay by the hour. That gives you access to all the facilities. Trainer is extra. We don't take no responsibility if either one of you, especially the lady, gets hurt."

Kate's eyes flashed, but she kept her voice even. "We want to test the place out before we decide if we want to join up."

"How much for a coupla hours for the two of us?" Castle asked.

"Hundred bucks."

Castle reached into the roomy pockets of his sweats and pulled out his wallet and handed it to Kate. "Here, Sugar, pay the man."

Kate extracted five twenties, gave Castle back his wallet, and passed the bills across the scarred wood.

The man shoved the money into a battered metal cash box. "Knock yourselves out. But if we have to call the medics, that's extra too."

"Sweetheart of a guy," Castle commented as Kate led the way to the free weights. She picked out one for Castle that he could manage with his left hand. He stared at it. "I think I could do a little better than this, Kate. I'm not a complete stranger to a gym. These biceps didn't come from a fairy godmother."

"I understand, Castle, but I don't want either of us to be to distracted by straining too hard. If Melody Mayfair is here, we need to be able to spot her. Besides lots of reps with a lighter weight builds endurance. If you're going to keep chasing the bad guys, you can use some."

"Not just for chasing the bad guys," Castle muttered.

Kate chose weights for herself and ran through a series of well-practiced exercises while her eyes scanned the room. There was no sign of Melody. Castle's breath came harder as the perspiration slicking her hair and lending translucency to the thin cotton of her top intruded on his thoughts.

After making the rounds of the equipment, Kate and Castle checked the locker room. Their suspect wasn't there. "I guess it's the motel then, huh?" Castle inquired.

"Lets grab showers first," Kate suggested, sniffing her armpit. "We should at least smell presentable to try to get some cooperation there. Will you be OK with your cast? We didn't bring anything to cover it."

"I can stick it outside the flow," Castle replied.

"Good," Kate responded.

Both of them adjusted the temperature of their sprays to cold.

* * *

"I have some news sir, but you're not going to like it," Bill Moss said.

"Just give it to me," his boss demanded.

"There are signs that our operations in North Jersey are about to be shut down. Vatslav is pulling our vendors out of there."

The pol smacked his palm on his desk. "Damn! That's been a good income stream. How about South Jersey?"

"We're still running that out of Philadelphia. It's not a problem. But there is one more thing. Beckett and Castle have been spotted in one of our outlets in Newark. So far it looks like it might be a coincidence. One of our sources in the department says they're pursuing a suspect down there. But we're keeping a close eye on the situation."

"Keep watching," the pol instructed.

* * *

Kate's eyes flicked to the rear-view mirror. "Castle I think we're being followed. There's a car not far behind us that pulled out of the gym parking lot just after we did. I'm going to take a side trip and see what happens."

"There's a place around here that makes one hell of a milkshake," Castle said. "I discovered it when I was scoping out the area. It's just two blocks ahead. It's called Thick and Frothy. We could pull in there and see what happens. After our work out, we could both use the sweet sustenance, anyway."

The images that invaded Kate's brain were not of a fountain drink, but she pushed them to the back of her mind. "Not a bad idea, Castle." Kate's eyes darted ahead until she spotted the old-fashioned drive-in.

* * *

Mellie had put off her trip to the gym that morning in favor of some light roadwork. She'd found a park not far from her motel and pounded along the dirt trails. It was cold enough that they were deserted, and she was satisfied with her run. She was feeling more like The Pelter, but not yet at full strength. She knew she should have a protein shake, but she hadn't found anywhere in the area that served one and she'd yet to purchase the ingredients and a blender, to whip one up herself. A regular milkshake was not on her training menu, but at that moment, it was the best she was going to do.

Castle pointed down the row of parked automobiles. "Kate, look at the car that just drove in,"

Kate regarded the vehicle he'd indicated. "That's not the car that followed us, Castle."

"No, but it might be our suspect. I saw the driver's arm when she pushed the button on the speaker. Lots of muscle, but not masculine. The window is rolled down. If one of us makes a trip to the restroom, we should be able to catch a look at her face. I could use a pee, anyway."

"OK, Castle go for it."

Rick got out of the car and strode toward the entrance of the men's room, letting his gaze sweep over all the parked vehicles. He could only see Melody Mayfair's profile, but the nose that had been broken more than once, was unmistakable, as was the jutting chin. As soon as he was concealed behind the heavy metal door, he pulled his phone from his pocket and used the voice function to text Kate. "It's her." He completed the rest of his business as rapidly as he could and returned to Kate's unit, just as the server bearing their order, rolled up.

Castle observed that there was no tray on Melody's window to indicate that she'd been served. He and Kate would have some time to suck up their sweet concoctions while they waited. He'd noted that Kate had requested a double thick strawberry shake. He'd had no idea that was her preference, but he filed the information away for future reference.

Once a skater bearing a tall glass of thick liquid rolled up to her vehicle, Melody sucked and spooned up the contents hungrily. She summoned a car hop to pick up her tray, at almost the same moment that Kate did. When Melody's auto pulled out, Kate followed. If a tail was still on her, she couldn't worry about it. Using the Bluetooth link in her car, she contacted the New Jersey Troopers to let them know that she expected to have a suspect in custody very soon.

Melody pulled into the parking slot in front of her unit at the Fine Nest. She felt back on track. She just needed to pick up a fresh set of workout clothes before heading to Reynaldo's. Parking a few spaces away, Kate watched Melody hurriedly stick a plastic-tagged key into the lock of her door. The suspect didn't look ready to settle in. Kate turned to Castle. "Damn Troopers better hurry."

Backup had yet to arrive when Melody exited her unit. She unlocked the trunk of her car, to throw in a gym bag, then slammed it shut. Kate realized that she couldn't wait for backup. "Castle, do you think we can do our act again?"

"Kate, it would be my very great pleasure, but it's a little early in the day to appear that intoxicated."

"How about dazed and lovestruck?" Kate suggested, opening her car door.

"That, I think I can manage."


	7. Chapter 7

Finding Her Hero

Chapter 7

Mellie's eyes flashed with jealousy as the couple approached, arms and eyes locked. She wanted to turn away, but visions of Sheila superimposed themselves on the figures coming toward her. They stopped no more than 2 feet away, their lips meeting in a flare of heat. The muscles of Mellie's jaw bulged as she held her breath. Suddenly the woman's foot flew at her head. Mellie's finely-honed instincts required no thought to duck the blow, and she was only grazed. She immediately struck back, charging the woman and knocking her to the ground.

With all his body weight behind a push from his good arm, Castle shoved Mellie back, only to have her come at Kate again. He tried to cover Kate with his body as a siren pealed, and lights flashed behind him. Two troopers ran from their car and struggled to pull Mellie away. She flailed, lashing out with hands and feet until one of the rescuers pulled out a Taser, shocking her to immobility. His partner snapped cuffs on her while she was down.

Castle bent over Kate. "You all right?"

Kate rubbed her solar plexus, where Mellie's palm had delivered a stunning blow. "I guess so. I think she just knocked the wind out of me. But I can understand her success as a fighter. She's super-fast and strong. Maybe I should find out what her training regimen is."

"You might want to skip the performance-enhancing drugs," Castle teased, as he helped her up. "I don't think the world could handle a Kate Beckett in 'roid rage."

"Probably not," Kate agreed. "But now I'll have to duke it out with the locals to get Melody back to New York. She's assaulted officers from both our jurisdictions."

Castle pushed a strand of hair out of her face. "I'll put my money on Beckett the Battler any day."

As a professional courtesy, the New Jersey troopers granted Kate the use of the interrogation room at the local headquarters while the higher-ups ironed out territorial disputes. With Castle sitting beside her, she regarded Melody Mayfair. "Do you know why you're here?"

"I hit you, but you hit me first," Melody challenged. "Any lawyer would say it was self-defense."

"You're going to need a lawyer," Kate counseled. "Assaulting me and the New Jersey cops will be secondary offenses, but why did you kill Sheila Rattinger?"

Unlike Kate's kick, her question caught Mellie unawares. "I – I don't know a Sheila Rattinger."

"That's interesting," Castle interjected. "Most folks have at least a passing acquaintance with people with whom they share an apartment - a one-bedroom apartment."

Tears flooded down Mellie's cheeks. "All right, I knew her. I loved her. She was everything to me. But that fucking job was everything to her."

"That must have hurt," Kate murmured sympathetically.

"More than anything in a bout," Mellie admitted.

"So, you struck out at the source of that pain," Castle prompted. "You stabbed a knife into an unfeeling heart."

Mellie nodded, tears choking her throat. She cradled her head in her arms, her sobs echoing against the hard walls.

* * *

It was late when Rick and Kate returned to the loft and sank to the couch together. "Thanks for having my back again, Castle," Kate said.

His mouth tweaked upward in a lopsided smile. "I think this time I had your front. But I'm there for you Kate, always."

Kate leaned in slowly, her lips barely contacting his. She pulled back for an instant, their eyes meeting in silent agreement. They fell together again hard; mouths open and tongues searching. Castle pulled Kate to him, the fullness of her breasts against the solidity of his chest. Hunger rose in him as he drew the tender skin of her neck between his teeth.

Martha started down the stairs from her room. "Richard I… Oh! Well, it's about bloody time! You two carry on!" She quickly turned around to go back the way she'd come.

Kate pulled away. "God, Rick, your mother isn't the only one in the house. Alexis is here too. I shouldn't have… We shouldn't have…"

Castle stuck two fingers under Kate's chin, lifting her eyes to his. "Kate, it may come as a surprise to you, but my daughter does know that her father has sex. She doesn't like to think about it, but she does know it. She would have been no more shocked than Mother was."

"Still," Kate protested. "I wouldn't want her to walk-in on … Look, Rick, I need some time to process what just happened. I think we both do. I'll just go up to the guest room for the night. We can talk about this when we have some time alone."

"If that's what you need to do. I'll see you in the morning, Kate. Sleep well."

As Kate dragged up the stairs, she knew she was unlikely to sleep at all.

Castle opened the door to his shower and turned on the cold tap for the second time that day. If he could be with Kate, it would be 1000 percent worth the wait, but it would not be easy.

* * *

Esposito groaned as he dropped gingerly into his chair at the precinct. "Hey Bro, you put up a good effort," Ryan comforted.

"A good effort my sore ass!" Esposito retorted. "I came in 20th, Ryan, 20th, behind 10 women. And if Beckett and Castle find out, I'll never live it down. Shit! He'll probably write it into his next book."

"Well I'm not going to tell them," Ryan said. "The Police Gazette will only report on who won, and you saw him, he's just out of the academy. And you know the sergeant there. He was probably working his tail off. He was just more in training that's all."

"Yeah," Esposito agreed. "I bet on the range or in the field; I'd pound him into the ground."

Ryan slapped him on the shoulder. "Sure you would, Bro."

The elevator dinged, and Kate and Rick stepped through the doors. Kate went to the murder board and began to take down the pictures. "Wait," Esposito said, "Ryan and I take off for one day, and you solved the case?"

The triumphant team of the mighty Kate Beckett and courageous Castle strikes again," Rick announced. "Melody Mayfair confessed."

"Her lawyer may try to argue diminished capacity," Kate added, "but the case is closed. All that's left is giving Montgomery his pounds of paper."

"There are a couple of things about the case we should discuss before you put your nose to the bureaucratic grindstone, Kate," Castle said, inclining his head away from the bullpen. "If you gentlemen will excuse us."

Castle led the way past the drink machine to the small room near the back stairs. He urged Kate inside and locked the door. "The janitor's closet, really Rick?" Kate queried.

"You said you wanted to talk when we could be alone. We're alone in here. No Mother. No Alexis. The boys can't hear us. So where do we go from here, Kate? Are we going to try to be together, or are you having day-after regrets?"

"Castle, I don't regret kissing you, or wanting to do a lot more than kiss. But we're going to have to be careful. It's not just a matter of your family. When partners have a - personal- connection…"

"You mean when they're sleeping together," Castle interrupted.

"Yes, when they're sleeping together, they can get distracted. A couple can worry more about protecting each other than it does about the job. That's why the department doesn't allow those relationships."

"What about Demming?" Castle demanded. "Unless my radar was completely out of whack, you were sleeping with him. That's why I left with Gina last summer."

"You're right, Castle but he wasn't my partner, and I never felt as close to him as I do to you. I was going to tell you that I broke up with him when Gina came to pick you up."

"So now what?" Castle asked. "You want me to stop working with you, or do you want to keep our partnership at arm's length?"

Kate shook her head, exhaling slowly and closing her eyes. "Neither one, Castle. We're not bound by N.Y.P.D. rules because you don't officially work for the N.Y.P.D." She stroked his temple and smiled. "If you did, they'd make you cut your hair. But I'm saying that we're going to have to be careful. And if we want to stay alive, we need to keep things professional while we're on the job."

"And what happens after hours, stays after hours," Castle assumed.

"Uh huh, at least for now," Kate confirmed.

"How about working on your mother's case?"

"That we can do together after hours too."

Castle wrapped his arms around her, tucking her head under his chin. "I can handle that."


	8. Chapter 8

Finding Her Hero

Chapter 8

Working together, Rick and Kate transferred all of Kate's work on her mother's case into Rick's computer. The pictures Johanna had taken of the alley where she died were scanned for display on Castle's big screen. Castle even urged Kate to make images of every page of her mother's appointment book. "Why, Castle?" Kate asked. "Dad and I have never been able to figure out my mother's code. There's nothing there."

"Maybe there is," Castle suggested. "You just couldn't find it. I've studied all sorts of codes and ciphers for my books. That's how I figured out the one Dunne used to bait you on our case with Jordan Shaw. I have some software we can use. And I learned a few things from my contacts in the CIA."

Kate shrugged. "I guess you couldn't do any worse than Dad and I did."

Castle pointed at a hook-like symbol on the screen. "This is interesting."

"Yeah," Kate agreed. "Dad thought it looked like an old form of shorthand, but it didn't match any kind that we could find."

"I think that's because it isn't shorthand, Kate. It's more like Hieroglyphics, without the people walking sideways. It's a symbol for an animal, an elephant I think. It looks a little like a trunk. And see this little square under it? That could be an indication that the elephant is hiding something."

Kate shook her head. "So, we're supposed to go to India or Africa and look under elephants, Castle?"

"I was thinking about something a little closer to home. Didn't you tell me that the elephants on your desk at the precinct belonged to your mother?"

"Yeah, Castle I did, but they're just china figurines. What could they be hiding?"

"I don't know, Kate, but wouldn't it be worth a look? We could check tomorrow morning."

Kate drew in a shaky breath. "Castle, if there is a clue that's been sitting right in front of me all these years, I need to know. Let's go now."

"All right," Castle agreed. "If anyone asks why we're back, we can always say I left my favorite pen."

"Castle, I didn't know you had a favorite pen."

He reached over to his desk and grabbed a ballpoint with the insignia of the Mystery Writers' Association. "This just became it."

* * *

Kate picked up the largest pachyderm from the line marching across the edge of her blotter. "Papa's always rattled a bit, but I thought there was just a little chip or something inside. There wouldn't be much room in there. What do you think my mother could have hidden?"

"I don't know Kate but look at the seam." Castle pointed to a barely visible line. "None of the other elephants have one. Papa looks like he might have been taken apart and very carefully glued back together."

"My mother was good at that," Kate recalled. "When I was a little girl, things always seemed to be getting broken around me."

Castle raised an eyebrow. "Strange, I wonder how that could have happened."

"Anyway, my mom put a lot of them back together," Kate continued. "Dad said she could have fixed Humpty Dumpty. But I don't want to try breaking it, Castle. I've never been able to do stuff like that the way she did."

"Let's take it back to the loft," Castle suggested. "I have an idea."

* * *

"Richard, I'm not even going to ask why you want to borrow my nail polish remover," Martha declared with a sweep of her hand.

"Mother, you know how I hate bad pedicures. I have to get rid of mine."

Martha waved him out of the room. "Never mind, just take it. I can always borrow some from Alexis. But if you use it up, you owe both of us new bottles, and not from Discount-o-rama either. The good stuff, from Betty's Beauty Emporium."

"Understood, Mother," Castle said, taking the bottle.

"Now what, Castle?" Kate asked when he returned to the office with the tightly sealed container.

"You're going to have to help me," Castle replied. "I can't manage one-handed. Damn! I can't even get this open. If your mother wanted to put that together on one try, she probably used some kind of superglue. And if she did, the acetone in Mother's nail polish remover will dissolve it. I need you to work the liquid into the crack. With any luck, the glue will soften, and Papa elephant will be beside himself. You can use one of the little brushes I have in my drawer for cleaning the keyboard on my laptop. And you might want to put on one of the old shirts that I shoved to the back of my closet. Alexis and I used them as finger painting smocks."

"She must have been really young, Castle. I'm surprised you never got rid of them."

"Kate," Castle explained, "each splotch of paint is a fond memory. I can't toss those away. But if we're successful here, we'll be adding a new one."

Kate reached out to touch his hand. "Thanks, Castle. You have no idea how much this could mean to me."

"Kate, I've seen your eyes every time you look at a photograph of your mother. I think I do."

* * *

Castle brought Kate a mug of coffee as she hunched over her task. "Any progress?"

"Yeah, I think I've just about…" The seam parted, revealing the source of the rumbling in the tusked patriarch's tummy. "Castle that's a minicassette tape. I haven't seen one for years, not since digital recorders came out. My mother never used one. She said she didn't want to keep anything around that the prosecution could subpoena. That's why she encoded some of her notes."

"Well someone used one," Castle pointed out, "probably years ago, maybe around the time Raglan and McAllister were running their kidnapping and ransom scheme."

"We need to find something to play it on - if it still works," Kate realized. "CSU might have an old recorder, but I'm not sure I can trust the department with this."

"If you're looking for arcane equipment, there's nowhere like the internet," Castle said. "Shall we go on a Google quest?"

"Might as well."

"Wow!" Castle exclaimed. "A lot of people must have been cleaning out their basements. It's amazing how many of those players are out there. I take it that you don't want to spend the time to bid for one?"

"You know it, Castle."

"OK, setting the filter for buy now, overnight shipping. Got it, Kate! With any luck, in less than two days, we'll know what secrets your little porcelain friend there was keeping."'

Kate gazed sadly at the divided beast. "I just wish I could put him back together. I'm going to miss him, Castle."

"I know Kate. If it weren't for my freaking cast, I'd put him back together for you. After bringing up my curious daughter, I'm not a bad Mr. Fixit. But I know a guy. He's had a little shop in the village for as long as I can remember. We can take it to him on your lunch break tomorrow."

Kate leaned down to press a kiss to his lips. "Castle, sometimes I don't know what I would do without you."

"Let's hope," he responded, "that the answer will remain one of life's great mysteries."


	9. Chapter 9

Finding Her Hero

Chapter 9

Benny pulled his magnifier down from his mass of gray hair to fit over his glasses and scrutinized the two halves of Papa Elephant. "It is a clean break. As soon as I remove the rest of the adhesive, it should go back together quite nicely. A family treasure?"

"It was very dear to my mother," Kate explained.

Bennie nodded. "and to you also, I see. Well, I won't keep you waiting long. He will be fit to trumpet again in a few hours. You can retrieve him then."

"Castle, I wish we could find out what's on that tape that fast," Kate said as they left the shop.

"The machine is coming by early delivery, Kate. We should have it before you have to be at the precinct, tomorrow. But you should have enough to keep you distracted in the meantime, with Melody Mayfair's hearing this afternoon."

"I don't think it will be much of a hearing, Castle. "The A.D.A. wanted us there as witnesses to Melody's confession in case her plea deal doesn't fly, but those hearings are usually quick and boring while they last."

* * *

"That wasn't boring," Castle noted as he and Kate left the courtroom.

Kate giggled. "You mean the part where Melody tried to attack the prosecutor or the part where she threw up on her lawyer?"

"I was thinking of the look on the bailiff's face when she marched Melody out of there. She kept leaning back as if Melody would hurl on her too. But I suppose we shouldn't be laughing. Withdrawal from steroids is no joke, even for a killer. Melody was suffering."

"The ones who should be suffering are the bastards that sell those and all the other dangerous drugs out there," Kate remarked. "I hope the undercover cop who sent us the tip on Melody, gets the operation closed down soon. But those things are like hydras, you cut off one head, and they grow two more."

"A classical reference, good for you, Detective. I'm impressed." He checked his watch. "You're off shift, and Bennie should have completed his repair work by now. He's open until seven. We can collect your fragile friend before we go back to the loft. Maybe pick up a pizza on the way. For some reason, Alexis is always ravenous after French Club."

"Then I'd think she'd be more into coq au vin or crepes than pizza, Castle."

Castle shrugged. "'A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,' Emerson, and Castle minds are not small."

"Neither are your heads," Kate returned. "But pizza sounds good to me too. Sausage and pepperoni - and banana peppers."

Castle wiggled alternating eyebrows. "I will do my best to satisfy your carnivorous and other cravings."

* * *

Castle could feel Kate squirming restlessly next to him on the couch as they watched a DVD of John Woo's "The Killer." "I thought you were in the mood for blood."

"I am Castle, just not the kind that's on the screen. I need that clue to my mother's killer, and it's a long time until tomorrow morning."

"We could make it go faster," Castle suggested. "Alexis is studying for a history exam. She'll be oblivious to anything except an atom bomb. Mother is at some fest at Sardi's. We could have a little fest of our own."

"What did you have in mind, Castle?"

"Whatever amuses us, Kate."

Kate stroked his roughening jaw. "Rick, amusement isn't exactly what I had in mind."

"Then what is?" he murmured, running his fingertips over the smooth skin revealed by the vee of her blouse.

Kate wrapped her slim hand around his. "I think I'll have to show you,"

Kate rose and in tacit understanding Castle followed as she led the way to the bedroom. Left-handed, Castle fumbled with the lock but managed to secure it behind them. Kate stood before him, holding his gaze while she unbuttoned her shirt and helped him pull it over his head. He gasped as her lips brushed the surface of his chest. Kate pulled him down to the bed and caressed the fullness below the drawstring of the sweatpants that he'd quickly put on to replace the torturous dress slacks he'd been forced to wear to court. When he cupped her through her slacks, she undid the snap and zipper, allowing him to pull them away. The silken lace she wore underneath was already damp, and he eased it down her legs, allowing access to his eager mouth. Kate arched and flailed as his tongue sought her most vulnerable spot. A groan rose from deep in her chest as her hands fisted in his hair, drawing his head tight against her.

Rick reached for her hand and guided it to where he strained for her touch. He felt hard and hot against her palm. She shifted to taste the heat, even as he tasted her. Circling and laving, she took him in, pressure building throughout her body. Their explosions melded, shockwaves reinforcing each other, until they collapsed together, empty and filled.

* * *

Kate awoke while it was still dark, searching for her clothes and pulling them on. "Kate, don't go, stay in bed," Castle murmured.

"Castle I can't, Alexis will be up soon, and I don't want her to … you know. And I want to be ready when that package comes. I'll start the coffee and catch a shower upstairs before Alexis and Martha are competing for the bathroom."

Castle forced himself up on his elbows. "Bless you, for the coffee. I'll get ready down here, and we can hope for speedy delivery."

"I'm just hoping there's something to hear. Meet you in the kitchen in half an hour?"

"I'll be there. I'm actually getting pretty good at mono-limbed pancake making."

Yeah, Castle, I've never figured out how you do the one hand egg cracking trick. I always need to hit the shell with a fork."

"Merely, the magic of Hepburn. I watched "Sabrina" with Mother. She loved Bogie. I was fascinated when I saw Audrey do it, so I practiced until I got the technique down."

"Left-handed?"

"Both hands. One should always be well rounded, as you so magnificently are. Kate, you were right. I had no idea."

Kate ran to him for a quick kiss. "You're not so bad yourself, Castle. But I really need to beat the rush.

Castle admired the brief view as she left, then hauled himself into the master bath to do a quick sluicing off of his own.

* * *

Kate's fingers trembled as she grappled with the tape on the express box. With a scream of frustration, she tore it open and pulled the minicorder from its nest of Bubble Wrap. Sliding in the cassette, she snapped it shut and pushed play. Nothing happened. "The fucking thing doesn't work!"

"Like many things in life it probably needs a spark to get it going. Did you check to see if it has batteries?"

Kate shook her head and rolled her eyes. Using her nails, she pried open the tiny compartment. "It takes triple A's, Castle. Do you have any?"

"Kate, another lesson learned from parenthood - not to mention numerous remote controls. Always keep extras of every conceivable power cell on hand. They're in the basket on the bookshelf. In the interests of fraying your nerves no further, there's a widget in my pencil holder you can use to conquer the blister pack."

Castle, right now I'd tear it open with my teeth, but thanks. Shoving in the necessary source of locomotion, Kate pushed the button again. "I need guarantees," a voice insisted against the whoosh of background noise.

Castle pushed stop. "That sounds like McAllister, younger, but him."

"You may be right, Castle," Kate agreed, pushing play again.

"And what are you going to do?" a voice neither one of them recognized, challenged. "I know people; people worse than any you and your friends snatched off the street. They take care of my problems, and they take care of them for good, as easily as I set up Pulgatti. And if that Beckett bitch gets any further into it, she and everyone working with her is gone. Do you want to follow them to hell?"

Defeat poured from the little machine. "No, take it. Take it all. But someday someone is going to figure out what you really are, and New York will end it with a needle in your arm."

"If I were you, I wouldn't bet my pension on it."

Static crackled until the tape clicked to an end. Kate stared white-faced at Rick. "Castle, we need to find out who the other voice on the tape is. That sonofabitch hired Dick Coonan to kill my mother."


	10. Chapter 10

Finding Her Hero

Chapter 10

"Kate," Castle urged, "just slow down for a minute and be the crack homicide detective you are. Step by step, right? So, what's the first step?"

"We have to document the tape, how we found it, establish a chain of custody as much as we can."

"OK, and after that?"

"Make sure nothing happens to it. Get copies made, cleaned up copies so they'll be clear to a jury. That will all have to be documented too. But Castle, if we don't use police facilities, how can we do that?"

"Kate, New York is full of centers of higher learning for the entertainment industry. There have to be multiple audio labs. We find one. We pay for the work, so we create a paper trail. But then what?"

"Then we get McAllister to tell us who that other voice is. That will be the hard part."

"Then you should head out to the precinct now for your normal shift." Castle suggested. "I can handle the chores with the tape. I'll get signatures from everyone who works on it, and record the process. If anyone at the Twelfth asks why I'm not there, you can tell them that I'm working on a project of my own. True enough. Tomorrow is Saturday. You're not on duty. We can go out to Rikers to see McAllister. When he's faced with the evidence, the prodigious power of Beckett should be able to extract the truth from him."

"All right, Castle, but let me know who's working on the tape so I can make notes of my own, to help back up anything you do."

"Copy that," Castle agreed.

* * *

"The pol's face flushed. "Richard Castle was spotted where?"

"At the audio lab at Hudson University," Bill Moss repeated. "Our guy got close enough to hear something about a tape."

The pol sank into his chair. "Sonofabitch! McAllister must have given it to Beckett. After all the years he's been holding it over my head. He's done. I'm giving the order."

"I understand, sir. What do we do about Beckett and Castle?"

"They'll have to be taken out too, but we need to make it look like an accident. Having a disgraced cop shanked in prison is one thing, but a hit on an active duty detective, especially one with her profile, will attract way too much notice. And the press is always looking for gossip about Castle. The operation will have to be done very carefully. I need to make a call - privately. I'll let you know when things are in motion."

Bill nodded and left the room.

The pol pulled a cellphone from a locked drawer and pressed the icon for the only contact it contained. "Code," a computerized voice demanded.

The pol closed his eyes and recited a memorized string of random letters and numbers. There was a pause, and a click before a human came online. "What do you need, Senator?"

"Scenario five." William Bracken responded. "Targets: Katherine Beckett and Richard Castle."

"Understood. What's your timeframe?"

"Make it discrete but make it ASAP."

* * *

"As distracted as Kate was, she was lucky that the case she picked up that morning was straightforward. A well-known gang member had been the victim of a drive-by shooting, which had been caught both by a traffic cam and the security cam from a nearby convenience store. The car was found abandoned a few blocks away, and the driver was picked up in a bar known to be frequented by members of a feuding gang, with a gun of the same caliber as the murder weapon still on him. Ballistics confirmed a match, and the case was turned over to the D.A.'s office just in time for Kate to end her shift and return to the loft.

"Where's the tape?" she asked Castle anxiously.

The original is in a safety deposit box in my bank, together with a written certification from the audio lab at Hudson that it wasn't altered," Castle explained. "I have a wave file with the noise removed, on my phone. We can play that for McAllister. There's a copy of that on the server at Hudson and copies on every electronic device that I own that will hold one. I sent one to my lawyer, too. The whole transfer process was documented and recorded on video, Kate. Those files will stand up in court, and there's no way that our Mr. X can get his hands on all of them. As soon as McAllister identifies that voice, we'll have your mother's murderer nailed."

"I hope so," Kate said. "I wish we could go see McAllister tonight, but I can't justify it as an official visit. We'll have to go first thing in the morning."

Castle caressed her cheek. "Hey, I picked up a strawberry shake for you on the way home from the bank. Turns out Remy's makes them. They're not on the menu, but you can special order one. And I've got burgers ready to grill, waygu."

"Castle, those cost a fortune!"

"But worth it if I can coax a smile onto your exquisite face. If we work together, we can make them just the way you like them, with sautéed mushrooms and swiss. In the mood to consume about three days' worth of calories?"

"Sounds good, Castle, especially if we can burn them up later."

Castle kissed her hair. "Now that sounds promising."

* * *

McAllister usually sat with his back to the wall, but his accustomed seat in the mess hall had been taken. In fact, every place was occupied except one. McAllister's neck tingled in warning, but he reluctantly put his tray down and sat between two cons he didn't recognize. "We have a message for you," one of them whispered. "The man knows you don't have it. Your bluff is called."

McAllister could feel the blade plunging into his kidney, in a twisting thrust like Dick Coonan had used to kill Johanna Beckett. The prisoners at his sides were tight against him, too close for him to slump over the table. The surrounding cons formed a screen from the eyes of both the guards and the cameras. When the meal was over, and McAllister was found, he was beyond help.

* * *

Kate opened her eyes. She was spooned against Castle with his good arm thrown over her, and his wounded hand propped on a pillow. A skirmish played out between her body and her mind. The former wanted to remain enveloped by Rick's warmth, while the latter insisted she needed to get up and get ready to see McAllister.

Castle groaned as her mind won and she pulled away. "It can't be morning already."

"It is, Castle. I can put the coffee on if you want to grab five more minutes. But visiting hours start in less than 90 minutes. It will take us about 50 minutes just to drive there and more time to get through security, even with my badge."

Castle pushed himself up with his left hand. "It's all good, Kate. The sooner we see McAllister, the sooner you get some answers. Mother and Alexis will want to sleep in. They can handle their own breakfast - or brunch. We can grab some coffee and croissants on the way. Pierre's opens at five. He's probably half sold-out by now."

"Thanks, Castle."

"We're in this together, Kate. No thanks necessary."

* * *

With lowered brows, the guard at Rikers examined Kate's paperwork. "I'm sorry, Detective Beckett, you can't see McAllister."

"Why?" Kate asked. "Did something happen?"

She turned to Castle after the guard broke the news, her nails gouging deep crescents in her palms. "Rick, we're dead in the water."

"No way, Kate," he insisted. "There's always another way, and we'll find it."


	11. Chapter 11

Finding Her Hero

Chapter 11

Kate's voice trembled as she fiercely struggled to hold back tears. "What other way, Castle?"

"Let's get out of here," he whispered. "We don't know who's been compromised."

Kate drove Castle's car silently until they were on the bridge back to Manhattan. "All right, Castle, we're out of there. Tell me what you think we can do now."

"Kate, you remember on the tape when McAllister told the other voice just to take everything? He had to have meant the ill-gotten gains McAllister and Raglan got from their ransom payments. There must be a record of them flowing from McAllister to someone, around the time your mother was killed."

"Castle, that's right! And we have McAllister's financials from when we brought charges against him."

"So, we follow the money," Castle continued. "And whatever pocket it ended up in…"

"Is the pocket of my mother's murderer." Kate finished. "Mind a trip to the archives?"

"My favorite place to sneeze."

* * *

Kate was entering lower Manhattan when a garbage truck pulled in behind her. She stared into her rear-view mirror. "Castle, I think we may have a problem. There's no trash pickup here on Saturdays. That truck shouldn't be there."

"Maybe it's going in for service," Castle suggested.

Kate shook her head. "It wouldn't take this route." Another sanitation truck pulled in front of her and began to back up. "Castle, get out! Now!" Castle reached awkwardly with his left hand for the handle of the passenger-side door, barely making it out of the way before their vehicle was crushed between the two behemoths. "Run!" Kate yelled. "Find cover!"

Separated from Kate by the mass of metal, Castle sprinted for the door of a coffee shop. Gulping air, he heard the door jingle shut behind him. After a moment, Rick drew a slow breath and took a seat at a back table. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and thumbed the icon for Kate.

She responded immediately. "Castle, are you all right? Where are you?"

"Not an accordion yet. Are you OK? I'm at the Java Hut. Where are you?"

"I'm fine. I'm in an alley across the street from you. I'll come over there as soon as I'm sure the coast is clear. It looks like the drivers of both trucks ran off as soon as they smashed into the car. But I'm going to check that no one is around to finish the job."

"I'll be here, but I think I'll stick to hot chocolate. I've had my jolt for the day Just watch yourself, Kate."

* * *

Kate sipped at her latte while Rick worked on his second cocoa. "Castle, whoever arranged that collision, had to have a lot of juice to get access to city property. And he'll find out pretty soon that we're alive. By law, I had to call in about the "accident." And the insurance company won't pay a claim on your car without a police report. Someone will be here to take it any minute. The way the traffic is tied up around the mess out there, the unis are probably having trouble getting through."

"Kate, I can replace the car, with or without the insurance, but there's nowhere safe for you in this city."

"We may both be in the crosshairs, Castle. And we need to find out who the voice on that tape is more than ever."

"How about the archives? Do we dare show up there now?"

"I think we can. Whoever is pulling the strings wouldn't have bothered to try and stage an accident if he wasn't afraid of ordering a straight hit. But I have my weapon on me. I'm not going to be slow in using it."

* * *

Castle tucked his phone away as Kate spread out McAllister's file on a table in a hotel suite Castle had rented, on the VIP floor of the Four Seasons. "Mother is taking Alexis to the Hamptons, at least for the weekend. They'll be safe if anyone tries to get into the loft. I'm having the security system intensified while they're gone. And as far as the hotel is concerned, this room is rented under the name of Johnny Donnelly. Pretty generic, but not as much of a tipoff as John Smith. No one can get up here without a room key and a code. The concierge is sending up a laptop we can use with the premium internet connection. It's encrypted to avoid eavesdropping on business transactions, but it will cover us too."

"Castle, how did you get so good at hiding?"

"Book tours. The hotels regularly accommodate even minor celebrities such as myself. And research for Derrick Storm. He was always hiding out, but then you know that."

"Yeah, I do," Kate admitted. "I just thought you were making everything up."

"Kate there were two places I spent my time as a kid while my mother was at the theater, backstage and in the public library. I didn't just learn to speed-read. I could find information faster than some of the librarians. And what I can look up, I don't have to make up."

A knock sounded on the door, and a member of the hotel staff arrived with a high end but lightweight computer and a sealed envelope, which he gave to Kate after she'd scrutinized his ID. Castle passed the man a $20 bill as he made his exit. "Kate, that envelope should have a password inside to the secure Wi-Fi."

She pulled out a card. "It does."

"Then let's find the bastard."

* * *

"I'm extremely disappointed," Bracken told the voice on the other end of the phone. "Not only didn't your people get the job done, but they've also tipped off Beckett and Castle that they're targets. So where are they now?"

"We don't know, Senator. They're not at the Broome Street address or Beckett's apartment. Our contacts in the department haven't been able to locate them, either. But Beckett is due to show up at the Twelfth Precinct Monday morning."

"If he's running true to form, Castle will be with her. Keep your people on them until we get another shot. And this one better work."

"Castle," Kate said. "There are series of transfers from McAllister's accounts, just below the amount that would be flagged for the IRS. They went to an organization called Clean Up Our Streets."

"That had to be a front for someone," Castle remarked. "It sounds like a slogan, something you'd use in a political ad. I'll Google it. Hmm."

'What Castle?"

"It was the meta-title on several commercials. They're on YouTube. I want to tether this thing to the big screen so that we can spot any telltale details more easily. It will work with Bluetooth, but I can't do it by voice command. I need the help of your capable fingers."

Kate activated the link as Castle requested and they watched a 60-second spot display images of sinister-looking characters on broken and littered sidewalks. A deep voice, reminiscent of James Earl Jones, intoned, "Is this where you want your children to grow up? Call D.A. William Bracken and tell him that you support his plan to clean up our streets."

A thirtyish man with the sleeves of his white dress shirt rolled up to his elbows, flashed on the screen. "I'm there for you and your families."

Kate stiffened. "Castle do you recognize that voice? It's the one that was on the tape." Castle grabbed his phone from the table. Let's double-check it." The now pristine wave file poured through the speaker.

Kate swallowed and turned to Castle. "That's him, Rick. William Bracken is McAllister's dragon and my mother's killer."


	12. Chapter 12

Finding Her Hero

Chapter 12

"Castle, Bracken is a senator now," Kate pointed out.

Castle's jawline hardened. "I know. And while he's been putting on this man of the people act, he's been working behind the scenes to do just the opposite of cleaning up the streets of the city. Bob Weldon's bitched about him, especially after a few beers. Whenever Bob's looked for federal help for an initiative, Bracken's blocked him. And Bob doesn't think it's just because they're from different parties. He believes Bracken is actively protecting operations like the one Vulcan Simmons runs."

"Why would Bracken do that?" Kate wondered. "What would he get out of it?"

"What people who climb the ladder by stomping on everyone else want, Kate: power. And to get that and hold it, you need money - lots of it. The money Bracken squeezed out of Raglan and McAllister must be long gone by now. He'd need another source."

"So, you're thinking that he's hooked up with the criminal organizations in the city, to finance his activities on the national stage?" Kate queried.

"It would make sense, Kate. He's got this man of the people act going, but clearly, the only person he's out for is himself. And he's got tentacles throughout the city on both sides of the law, in a network he's been building for at least 19 years. Who knows how many officials and even street cops he's compromised, or where?" He, or someone working for him, had to be keeping close tabs on you and me to try and catch us in his sanitation squeeze. And with the way McAllister was taken out, Bracken must have contacts at Rikers, too."

"Then how do we nail him, Castle? We have the tape, but if he has as much reach as you think he does, we'll need a lot more than that. How do we get it?"

"The way you take perps down all the time. Someone greedy or unscrupulous enough to be working for Bracken can be flipped given a strong enough self-interest. We go after one of his minions. We just need to find one who'll give into your famous or perhaps infamous, talent of persuasion."

Kate put a hand on his arm. "I know who we should target. I think McCallister aimed us at Vulcan Simmons for a reason. After Raglan was shot, he was afraid that Bracken would come after him, but he was too scared to give us Bracken's name. Maybe he was hoping that if we went after Simmons, it would lead us to his boss."

"But even if Montgomery would allow it, after what happened with Simmons the first time, if Bracken does have a mole at the Twelfth, he'd be tipped off that we were coming and cover his tracks," Castle assumed. "He'd probably have Simmons taken out too, not that his demise would be any great loss to humanity. Who are you sure we can trust?"

"Rick, I'd trust Ryan and Esposito with my life. I have trusted them with my life before, and they've trusted me. They've trusted both of us."

"And Ryan has contacts in narcotics, doesn't he?" Castle asked.

"That's where he worked before Montgomery brought him into homicide," Kate confirmed.

"Do you think Ryan and Espo would be willing to dig up a reason to pull Simmons in again?" Castle wondered.

"I know they would."

* * *

"What did you get, Bro?" Esposito asked.

"One of Simmons' competitors was found with a needle in his arm a couple of days ago," Ryan reported. "C.O.D. was pegged as an overdose, but the M.E. didn't find tracks or any other signs of drug use. It was an execution; the doc just couldn't prove it. The only fingerprints on the hypo belonged to the victim. We are now officially consulting on the case, so we can go up to Washington Heights and sniff around. The lieutenant at the 23rd is going to clear it with Montgomery."

After the way that slimebag Simmons baited Beckett, I'd sure like to haul his ass in." Esposito declared.

"Yeah, Bro, me too."

* * *

Before calling Martha to bring Alexis back, with Kate at his elbow, Castle examined the changes to the loft. "Looks like my security guy did everything he said he would," he noted. "Motion detectors and alarms on every window, a camera at the door. An alarm goes off if the power is cut to anything, and I can monitor it all from my phone or my computer. I'm slipping Eduardo a few extra bucks to be on high alert for anyone who looks like they don't belong, too. What do you think, detective?"

"Look's good, Castle. Too bad you can't wire the rest of the city."

"I'm going to have people keeping watch on Mother and Alexis when they're out of the loft. It would be pretty blatant for Bracken to send someone after us at the precinct."

"Yeah, it would, Castle, but we'll still have to be on alert. I wish you could handle a gun, with that cast. I'd give you my backup."

"You are my backup Kate. But," he dug in the left pocket of his pants and held up a tube, "I do have this. It only takes two fingers."

"Pepper spray, Castle? I guess it's better than nothing."

* * *

Ryan and Esposito sat in a car they'd requisitioned from the impound yard. The finish was scratched, and there was primer on one of the doors. Its best feature was that it looked nothing like a police unit. The hubcaps were more prominent, the tires older, and there was no sign of an antenna. The two men were dressed to match the condition of their vehicle, in clothes borrowed from the undercover wardrobe of Ryan's old partner, with a few additions from a local thrift store. Esposito held a parabolic microphone, with buds in his ears. His body moved in rhythm as if immersed in hip-hop. Ryan lounged in the driver's seat with a hat pulled over his eyes. "Getting anything, Javi?"

"They're jammin'. about business." Esposito closed his eyes as he concentrated. "They're talking about setting up in newly opened territory. Sounds like they're going to go scope the place out. Get ready to move."

Ryan released the parking brake and put his fingers on the ignition key. "If they end up in our vic's neighborhood, we'll know why they're there."

"And the minute they try to unload their merchandise, we'll have them," Esposito finished.

The delivery truck pulled up in front of the loft with the new refrigerator for Castle's downstairs neighbor. Eduardo had received a call that it was coming and one of the muscular men who wheeled it in on a dolly signed the ledger. It was business as usual as the unit was efficiently installed in the apartment.

* * *

Castle and Kate returned from the precinct, where Kate had been doing desk duty, and when he had been able to concentrate, Rick had been making notes for his new book with the recording function on his phone. He'd been alternately anxious and bored, sitting in his well-worn chair all day, and was looking forward to returning to his newly fortified refuge. Eduardo opened the door to the lobby. "Anything happen today?" Castle inquired.

Eduardo shrugged. "Just a delivery for Ms. Paulsey, Mr. Castle. New refrigerator."

A warning tingle raced up Castle's spine. "Carolyn Paulsey who lives in the loft below mine?"

Eduardo nodded. Castle turned to Kate. "Something's wrong. Carrie's on a weird version of a paleo diet. She has a plot at the community garden and things growing in containers all over her place. She even owns an interest in an orchard. Carrie won't eat anything she can't pick fresh. She's never had a refrigerator since she's lived here. She doesn't believe in them. Kate, I think we should call the bomb squad."


	13. Chapter 13

Finding Her Hero

Chapter 13

"Damnedest thing," Detective Beckett, Captain Mahoney said. "There was no explosive like C-4 in that refrigerator, but it was rigged to blow. Very clever design. The cooling agent in the compressor was replaced by a flammable gas. When it was under sufficient pressure, there was a mechanism, which would have been destroyed in an explosion, set to puncture the tubing and short out the wiring. With pressure like that, the whole thing would have gone up with tremendous force, probably taking half the building with it, including your loft, Mr. Castle. A device like that has been suspected in a couple of arsons, but the inspectors from the F.D.N.Y. have never been able to pin it down. Having this intact one to examine should help them out."

"Were there any prints on the refrigerator?" Beckett asked.

Mahoney shook his head. "Sorry."

No surprise there," Castle remarked. "Eduardo told me the guys who delivered it were wearing work gloves. "The signature in the ledger is probably an alias. But Eduardo did get a pretty good look at them."

"We'll have him work with a sketch artist," Mahoney said. "You two are lucky you smelled a rat."

"That was Castle," Kate admitted.

"Pays to know your neighbors," Castle declared. "I've borrowed fresh basil from Carrie more than once."

* * *

"My ass is getting numb watching those jackasses," Esposito complained.

"We can't pull them in based on what you heard without a warrant," Ryan reminded his partner. "If they flip on Simmons, his lawyer just claims fruit of the poison tree. He's evaded charges that way for years. Whatever we get needs to be airtight. Looks like they're making a move. They're heading for that MKZ. With any luck, we can catch them threatening someone or selling an illegal substance before Jenny puts a BOLO out on me. It was supposed to be a honey milk night."

Esposito clutched his throat making retching noises "Just drive, Ryan."

* * *

"Kate, I just checked," Castle announced. "The name in Eduardo's ledger wasn't an alias. The guy runs an independent delivery service. He's on Facebook, Linked In, Twitter and Yelp. Five-star reviews."

"Then he probably had no idea he was doing anything except delivering a refrigerator," Kate mused.

"He has an online system for arranging jobs," Castle added.

"So, he probably never saw or talked to whoever hired him," Kate concluded.

"But he would have been paid somehow," Castle pointed out.

"Looks like we're back to following the money," Kate agreed. "But Castle you look beat, and I'm wiped out too. Now that Mahoney's people have declared the building clear and safe for occupation, we should get some rest."

"We might as well," Castle agreed. "My security system is still in place, and I have the private service I hired to watch out for Mother and Alexis watching all of us now. It has a unit outside the building."

"They respond really quickly, Castle. How did you find them?"

"The owner was a consultant on a couple of Derrick Storm books. He's ex-CIA. Officially he was just an analyst, but from what I picked up in my own interactions with the agency, I figure there was a lot more to it than that. He and his people know how to move fast."

"More than I can do right now," Kate admitted. "I'll barely be able to climb into that custom designed bed of yours."

Castle kissed the notch of her neck and cupped the curves a couple of feet below it. "I may be one-handed, but I can always give you a boost."

* * *

"Did you see that?" Ryan asked.

"Hell yes!" Esposito responded. "Our guys just handed over a lot more than 4 grams. That's 20 plus years. We got'em, Bro! We can throw them in the can overnight, give them time to cook. And in the morning, we can put on the squeeze. You might even make it in time for your honey milk."

Hanging their badges around their necks and drawing their weapons, Ryan and Esposito charged out of their makeshift unit.

* * *

Castle could hear Kate's soft and even breathing as she snuggled against his shoulder, but he was wide-awake. She'd been right about him being tired, he was. But his mind refused to slow down. He was protecting his family and Kate the best way he knew how, but it didn't seem to be enough. He'd written for years about webs of underworld intrigue and an unending stream of villains. But Bracken was real, and a whole new game. Rick had helped Kate solve dozens of murders, but none of the perpetrators had this kind of influence. Even the worst of serial killers they'd encountered paled in comparison to the level of evil Bracken had been able to pull off for so many years. And if he and Kate couldn't stop him, his power would only grow.

Worse, an attacker could be around any corner, behind any window. His thoughts roiled with scenarios: poisoned sugar in the breakroom, electrocution by vending machine, elevators rigged to fall. He knew they were unlikely but not much more so than an exploding refrigerator. At least Carolyn Paulsey's eating habits were one piece of homework Bracken's henchmen had failed to do. Castle could only hope that he and Kate could follow the trail that mistake had revealed. He drew Kate closer, feeling the heat of her body mingle with his. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Chand Johnson paced the few feet accorded by his holding cell. Daryl Green watched him in disgust. "Man, will you relax! You know how it works. We'll get a lawyer in here in the morning and be out by noon."

Chand sank down on the metal bench next to him. "I don't know, dude, things have been tightening up lately, ever since the Jersey operation was busted. The cops said they have us for at least a class two felony, maybe 20 years, maybe more, in Sing Sing. I don't know if a lawyer could get us out of that."

"They're just playing with your head, man," Daryl insisted. "The judge has gotta give us bail, right? So, the boss sends us to another operation until things cool down."

"We skip bail, and the boss is left holding the bag? I don't think so," Chand opined.

"We tell the cops anything, and the next thing we know we're the ones with the hot loads in our arms," Daryl warned.

"And if we don't, we could end up taking a shower with our butts pressed against the wall, until we're too old to be worth screwing anymore," Chand retorted.

"The boss has friends," Daryl argued. "The cops have known what he does forever, and they haven't put him away yet. Shit! The last time they took him in, the cops ended up having to issue an apology when he told them he'd sue for excessive use of force. When it came out in the Ledger, he was laughing so hard I thought he'd bust those pants his lady bought for him. He's probably laughing now over how he's gonna spring us. Just sit tight and shut the fuck up." Daryl stretched his legs out in front of him and closed his eyes. "If you don't want to sleep, I do."

Chand listened to the snores starting to rattle the wire mesh that encased the enclosure. Only idiots could sleep like that.

A/N There are refrigerator bombs, but I invented the one in this story. It might work, it might not. I'm not about to blow up a fridge to test my theory.


	14. Chapter 14

Finding Her Hero

Chapter 14

Ryan looked down at the folder in front of him. "So, Chandler Johnson. Chandler. Your mother a fan of 'Friends?' I can be your friend, Chandler. I can be the best friend you ever had. But with friends, there's always giving on both sides. You give me the name of the big man, the one who sends you out to put your ass on the line and I talk the D.A. into giving you a break."

The chains that tethered Chand's cuffs to the table rattled. "I tell you anything, and I'm a dead man."

"Now you see, Chandler, that's part of what we give. We can protect you. Or, we can just turn you loose and let him think you talked."

"You can't do that! Chand protested.

"I'd have too." Ryan declared. "Somehow I screwed up when I read you your rights. My partner is really pissed off at me. So is my captain, but you're a free man. How long do you think you'd last out there? A day? An hour? Five minutes?"

"How do I know you'll follow through on the deal?"

"I can get an A.D.A. in here in half an hour, to put it in writing."

Chand swallowed hard. "I guess I have no choice."

* * *

Morris Cheswitz scratched his head. "Now that you mention it, Detective Beckett, that delivery was strange in a lot of ways. You asked about the payment. It was by direct bank transfer. A few of my customers pay that way, I'm set up for it, but most of them would rather use a credit card."

"So, they can wait a month before paying," Castle surmised.

"I guess so," Morris agreed. "Anyway, the payment went to my business account. Then I picked the refrigerator up at a warehouse. I have contracts with several stores, but it wasn't one of theirs. It was a moving company. The thing was sitting out on the dock for me ready to pick up, padded and everything, with installation instructions, taped to it. There wasn't much to those. The thing didn't have an ice machine, that's unusual too. But that meant it didn't need hooking up to a water line. It just needed to be put in place, plugged in, and have the protective plastic that was on it, stripped off and discarded. The instructions were very specific about that. There was plastic covering the whole thing."

"That explains the lack of fingerprints," Castle noted.

"Where did you throw away the plastic?" Kate asked.

Morris squared his shoulders. "I didn't. I don't want my kids inheriting an ocean they can walk on. I put it in my recycling bin. I haven't had a pickup yet. It should still be there."

"Outstanding!" Castle exclaimed. "Environmental vigilance triumphs against the despoilers of our city."

"I'll take it with me," Kate said. "And I'll need any information you have about that warehouse and that bank transfer too."

"Whatever you need, Detective. I always support the police. I never know when I'll need you."

"I appreciate that, Mr. Cheswitz."

* * *

"Castle, what was so funny?" Kate asked as she drove her unit back to the precinct. "Seemed like you were holding back a laugh the whole time we were talking to Morris Cheswitz."

"It was just the contrast, Kate. Cheswitz is the fine, upstanding, environmentally responsible businessman, but his name reminded me of Cheez Whiz, an icon of decadent, if delicious consumption."

"I saw a can of it at the loft, Castle," Kate recalled.

"Exactly my point. It grabs me by the taste buds to drag me down the path to nutritional ruin."

"Considering your addiction to bacon brownies, or bacon anything else, I don't think you need much dragging, Castle, but there might be a minuscule laugh there. Something for your next book?"

"I think I'll change the aerosol product to whipped cream; it's a lot sexier. But yeah, I'm thinking about it, and a lot of other things too."

Kate had urge to pull over and find out exactly what was on his mind, but she fought it. She needed to get to the lab to get the wrappings of the refrigerator bomb examined for fingerprints and trace evidence as soon as possible.

* * *

Heat suffused Bracken's skin, and his face reddened as he shouted into his secure cellphone. "What the hell happened? You told me that this technique has never failed. Not only are Beckett and Castle still alive, the N.Y.P.D. now has more evidence in cases that should be permanently stuck in the cold files. This is a fucking disaster!"

"I'm sorry Senator. It was a million to one shot that the explosion would be prevented. But our people are still keeping surveillance on Beckett and Castle. Another opportunity will present itself."

"Not for you," Bracken said. "Your services are no longer required. Don't expect any more retainer payments. I'll be calling in some heavier artillery to clean up your mess."

The voice on the other end flattened. "Very well, Senator. But any protection you've received from the employment of our services is also terminated."

Bracken opened his laptop and typed in the IP address for an encrypted site. He entered a terse message. He hadn't wanted to use Maddox. The man was disturbingly dark and enjoyed his work too much even for Bracken's tastes. But the time for subtlety was long past. Both the garbage truck debacle and the failed explosion had been noticed, and he'd been embarrassed in the eyes of his overseas partners. He couldn't afford to be embarrassed again.

* * *

Any luck on tracking the payment to Cheez Whiz?" Castle asked.

Kate couldn't suppress a smile. "Not so far. The deposit traced back to an account in the Caymans. I've filed the paperwork to have the ownership revealed, but I'm not holding my breath. And the lab report hasn't come back either. How about the warehouse?"

"Maybe doing a little better there. The ownership is from the predictable layers of shell companies, but there was an employee killed on the premises. Some kind of forklift accident. Employee deaths trigger mandatory investigations. The report held that the forklift manufacturer, Lyft-Sure was at fault. Lyft-Sure fought that conclusion. Seems like they have a heavy-duty competition with another company, who could come in and take a big chunk of their business if their reputation was sullied. They sued the warehouse for improper maintenance procedures and failure to mandate training for their workforce. To do that, Lyft-Sure had to untangle the warehouse's ownership. They were making progress before a new report was issued clearing them and their equipment of any responsibility for the accident. Lyft-Sure dropped the suit. But there must be records of what they uncovered, Kate. They'd might be sealed under a nondisclosure agreement, but with evidence of an attempt to blow us to hell, and previous successful arsons, it shouldn't be that hard to get a friendly judge to break the seal."

"Castle I assume you've got a friendly judge in mind."

"He and I won a substantial bet together on the golf course last summer. It bought him a cruise to Saint John and the return of - um, romance - with his wife. He'll be friendly but not dishonorable. You'll still need to make a strong argument in your affidavit."

"I can do that, Castle, especially with a little creative help from my favorite novelist."

Castle scooted his chair closer. "I have great confidence in our combined competence."

A/N Every so often, a guest will ask why I rate a story such as this one, as M. The authors need not do so, as we are required to read the rules before posting. Readers not so informed may be confusing M with MA, which this site does not permit. Yes, I understand some authors stretch the rules. Some of them have also been kicked off for doing it. Some just write in other venues. That is their choice. Here is the actual definition the site uses for M:

"Not suitable for children or teens below the age of 16 with non-explicit suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, or coarse language.  
Fiction M can contain adult language, themes and suggestions. Detailed descriptions of physical interaction of sexual or violent nature is considered Fiction MA."

I check the boxes both for language and for non-explicit descriptions of sex. I didn't make the rules. I just follow them. For readers who want more explicit content, it is available from other authors on other sites. Enjoy!


	15. Chapter 15

Finding Her Hero

Chapter 15

From five roofs away, Maddox scoped out the Castle loft. It helped that it was on the top floor. It made for an easier shot. The windows were covered, but a little heat imaging could get him past that stumbling block. All he needed was a time when Castle and Beckett were near a widow together. A few quick shots and he could collect the other half of his payday. A night shooting would be his best chance for a clean job. The red blobs would glow brightly, and his chances of being spotted would drop to almost zero. He'd lost track of the kills he'd made that way in Iraq and Afghanistan. Children were right to be afraid of the dark. Adults let go of their fear and let down their guard. It was a fatal mistake.

* * *

Judge Mayweather considered Kate's petition. "Let me understand this. You have evidence that the warehouse in question was used for criminal purposes, so you want me to open up sealed files, so you can track down who owns it."

"You've got it, Morty," Castle confirmed. "And the criminal behavior in question may not only be multiple arsons but is directly related to the attempted murder of both Detective Beckett and the best member of your foursome."

"I might dispute you on that last point, Rick," Judge Mayweather replied, but Detective Beckett has established enough of a connection to provide a basis for examining those records. Moreover, I can't see that anyone would suffer substantial harm by doing so. Very well. Petition granted."

* * *

Kate and Rick closed the blinds and spread out a stack of documents on the conference table at the 12th Precinct. As far as I can make out, Castle said, scanning through the pages, the mother organization is Blackstream. There's not much here except for the founder, an Erik King. I ran across that name in some of my research. He led an organization of mercenaries that contracted with the army in Iraq and Afghanistan. He got tossed after an oversight committee discovered that his people were using torture to obtain intelligence - and some lousy intelligence at that. Got a lot of soldiers killed, but somehow King came out of it with a big payday."

"There had to be some intervention from a high level of government for him to get away with that," Kate said.

"Would you care to speculate from whom?" Castle asked, pulling out his phone. "Siri, is Erik King connected with William Bracken?"

"Here is what I found on Erik King and William Bracken," the synthesized voice returned.

Castle skimmed through the webpages his search engine offered for display. "Looks like we've found our connection, Kate. Bracken helped push through contracts for Blackstream in both the Armed Services Committee and the Appropriations Committee. Looks like he picked up some little helpers in exchange."

Not so much help lately, Castle," Kate remarked. "If I were Bracken, I'd be pretty pissed off."

"And pissed off people do desperate things," Castle noted.

"Also, stupid things," Kate pointed out.

Castle laid his hand on her arm. "Either way, more than ever, we need to watch our backs."

* * *

Ryan and Esposito teamed with the N.Y.P.D. drug task force and feds from the Drug Enforcement Administration as they created a series of nooses around Vulcan Simmons' operations. Chandler Johnson hadn't been able to give them everything they needed but added to the intelligence already gathered by years of effort; it was enough.

Simmons had been located in the auto repair shop where he maintained his headquarters. It would be raided simultaneously with his other locations in and near New York City. The growing concern over the opioid epidemic had justified the higher-ups at the local, state, and federal level to expend the funds to provide an army of personnel, all with armor and assault weapons. A massive attack vehicle was ready as well, to mow down any cover that the structure around Simmons might provide. Esposito counted down the seconds before the action would begin.

Vulcan Simmons was in his favorite place. The shabby exterior of the building belied the opulence of his private room. The mahogany furniture and gilded moldings weren't all that surrounded him. The women on each side of him in his custom-built bed were like potato chips. He couldn't eat just one. He was a man of enormous appetites and indulged them all.

Simmons wanted nothing more than the urgent banging on his door to cease, but his lieutenant knew the penalty for disturbing him for anything less than life or death. If he hadn't, death wouldn't have been long in coming. With a chesty groan, Simmons pulled himself from female embrace, wrapped a black silk robe around his bulk, and left his refuge. "What?"

Harley McDonald pointed to the monitors of the outside cameras. The screens showed only static.

"Send Jameel out to check what's wrong with the system," Simmons responded angrily. "he's here to take care of the tech."

Harley's voice fought the tightness in his throat. "I did, sir. He didn't come back. None of the cell phones in here can get a signal. The landline is dead too. I checked through the gap on the roll-up door on bay three. There are cops out there and feds. I couldn't tell how many, and without the cameras that's the only way to see out."

Vulcan brought his fist down on the monitor station. "Fucking Bracken! He was supposed to be protecting our operation. Someone is going to pay for this!"

Harley backed away, making a mental inventory of what he could offer the cops for a deal. The ax was falling, but it wasn't going to fall on him."

* * *

Maddox zipped up his jacket. It was thin and light, with military grade insulation. He couldn't afford to have anything interfere with his motion or his aim. There were four heat signatures in the loft. He preferred to do his work with only two. He didn't get paid for collateral damage, and it wasn't good for his reputation. He intended to hit his targets and only his targets, but if he could inflict some extra pain along with the kill, he wouldn't mind that. He wouldn't mind it at all. His ammunition would penetrate glass, and it would tear through major organs like tissue paper. The windows of the loft were long, high and wide. And there were a lot of them. He just needed Beckett and Castle to be alone and positioned in line with his bullets' trajectory. He could wait. If it didn't happen this night, it would happen the next or the one after it. He'd seen the security units watching the building, but they weren't watching him. He was one of six people he knew of in the world who could make a shot from this distance. No one would ever see his bullets coming. And after his targets were down, he would be long gone before anyone could approach his nest.

* * *

Bracken read the text on his phone. Vulcan Simmons had been taken into custody. That alone was not a problem. It had happened before. Generally, it was a minor annoyance, but this time his operations had been taken down with him. King and his people had always prevented that before. Damn! He'd made a mistake letting his frustration with King's organization get the best of him. The loss of funds from Simmons was going to slow him down, but it wouldn't stop him. Once Beckett and Castle were gone, nothing could derail his plans.


	16. Chapter 16

Finding Her Hero

Chapter 16

Bobby Carlton gazed around the interrogation room and shuddered. He'd never been picked up by the police before. He'd spent a couple of stints in the brig before the army kicked him out, but neither the police nor the arson investigators had ever come close to him. He knew his latest masterpiece had failed. Even if Blackstream hadn't skewered him, there would have been something about the explosion in the news. The media would have been up and down the street interviewing everyone about their "shock and horror," at least until something else captured the news cycle. He'd enjoyed watching reports like that after his other jobs, but this time there was nothing except a small blurb about the police being alerted to a bomb by a neighbor. Of all the fucking luck!

Still, even if the police found the refrigerator, there should have been nothing to give him away. Before he'd wrapped it, the fridge had been cleaned of everything. He couldn't figure out what he could have missed. The tall, beautiful woman who'd commanded the uniformed cops to put him in interrogation, entered the room, followed by a man with a cast on his hand. When the woman took a seat opposite him, he winced at the steel in her otherwise lovely eyes.

"Mr. Carlton, have you any idea why you're here?" Kate asked.

Hope flowed through Bobby's veins. "No, Ma'am. The officers just told me that I was needed for more than questioning."

"Mr. Carlton, what is your profession?" Kate inquired.

"I build things for people, sort of freelance," Bobby explained.

"Are you a carpenter?" Castle asked. "I could use some new shelves."

"Nothing like that," Bobby replied. "Mechanical devices, special orders."

Kate stood and glared down at Bobby. "Special orders like exploding refrigerators."

"You've got the wrong guy," Bobby protested, "I don't know anything about explosives."

Kate sat again, opening a file. "I think you do, Bobby. Or if you don't, the army wasted a lot of time training you in identifying and defusing improvised explosive devices. Pity they couldn't get more work out of you before they cut you loose. Dishonorable discharge for theft, fraud and misuse of army property. Couple of absent without leaves here too. You were a bad boy."

"Looks like you haven't changed much," Castle inserted.

"I haven't done anything wrong," Bobby insisted.

Kate tapped her finger on a report in her file. "The evidence says otherwise. You know that plastic you wrapped the refrigerator in, Bobby? The delivery guy, unlike you, was too good a citizen to want to pollute the planet with it. And the lab found your fingerprints, a lot of your fingerprints, all over it. And there was enough sweat to pull DNA. Want to bet that's going to be a match too, not that it's necessary. The refrigerator is also being compared to evidence from open arson cases. The fire cops are pretty sure there's going to be a match there too. The D.A. will have enough to send you away. The only question is whether you'll ever get to see the outside world again."

"What do you want from me?" Bobby asked.

"Everything you know about whoever hired you to build exploding refrigerators and whatever else was used to blow up and burn buildings. You write it all down, and I get the D.A. in the mood to reduce the charges. But it all has to match what we know, and we know a lot. You tell one lie, even a little one, and you're behind bars for the rest of your life." Kate shoved a legal pad and a pen across the table. "Choose your future, Bobby."

Carlton wiped his palms against the fabric of his pants and picked up the pen.

* * *

Esposito and Ryan stepped off the elevator just after Carlton had been returned to holding to await a trip to The Tombs. Kate's long strides quickly brought her to them. "What happened with Simmons?"

Esposito grinned. "Like shaking a can of Coke. Once he realized how much we had on him, he wanted to spout off everything he could to save his ass."

"Cool it, Bro," Ryan hissed. "He told the feds he wanted to make a deal to flip on the guy behind the whole organization," the Irish cop whispered. "They're setting it up now, but they're keeping everything under wraps until they're sure they've got a solid case."

"Smart," Castle agreed.

"Our guy flipped on Blackstream," Kate announced, "which should lead in the same direction. We'll be pulling the net tighter."

"We just have to make sure the shark doesn't gnaw his way out of it before he can be cut up for soup," Castle added. "You guys want to join Kate and me for a little pre-skinning party at the loft?"

"You got beer?" Esposito wondered.

"Domestic and imported, ice cold and ready to go," Castle replied. "And your choice of whatever culinary treasures you care to enjoy from any of the fast food emporiums in the area that offer prompt delivery service."

"With the way you tip, that is all of them," Kate commented.

"Sounds good," Ryan agreed. "Can I invite Jenny?"

"The more, the merrier," Castle responded. "Alexis will be there, and I expect mother will make an entrance as well, if for no other reason than to criticize the nutritional content of our fare. About seven good?"

The two detectives nodded.

* * *

Maddox checked his infrared monitor and stared at the huddle of glowing blobs occupying the loft. "Sonofabitch! Fucking writer must be throwing a party!" He checked his watch, figuring it would be at least a couple of hours before the gathering broke up. The wind was picking up, which would complicate his aim, assuming he was able to line up a good shot. He couldn't complete the job that night, not the way he wanted to.

The hitman decided to delay his mission for another 24 hours. There was a woman up in Harlem he wanted to visit. He didn't get the yen often, but if he couldn't get off on a kill, she would fill the need, for a day anyway. He thought about what he would do when he saw her. She was willing to submit to anything if the price was right. The cost for what he wanted would be high, but nothing compared to what he'd already received and would be clearing for this job. He licked his lips, and his normally controlled breathing quickened. He could feel the cord against his fingers as it would mark her neck. And he could taste her blood. He loved the taste of blood. He always had. Maddox carefully laid the components of his rifle into its case for the next night.

* * *

Castle held a bottle of beer in his left hand, the slickness of condensation damp against his palm. He was looking forward to being able to curl the fingers of his right hand around a drink again, but it would be weeks yet. He hoisted the beverage in a toast. "To Ryan and Esposito. To putting a serious crimp in crime and cleaning New York of its slime."

"And to freeing the streets of men like Vulcan Simmons and everyone that compromises the safety of our citizenry," Ryan added.

"Can never resist adding the cornball shit, can you?" Esposito responded.

Kate clinked her bottle with the three men, Jenny, Martha and a glass of root beer held by Alexis. "Cornball or not, here's to catching the bad guys."


	17. Chapter 17

Finding Her Hero

Chapter 17

Esposito took a bite of a jalapeno popper and signaled to Rick to follow him into the loft's office. "Let me holler at you, Castle. I spotted a private surveillance unit downstairs. Your guys?"

Castle nodded. "Yeah, and my security company added more protection, or I would never have let Alexis, Mother or Beckett come back here."

"I saw the camera and motion detectors, man. But you got a lotta windows in this place and taller buildings around. Too much wind for it tonight, but a crack sniper could get on the roof of one of those buildings, shoot right through a window and hit any one or all of you."

"The windows are all covered, Espo," Castle pointed out."

"Don't matter, Bro. Guy hooks into a satellite or flies a drone over this place, he can home in on an IR image."

"I could get the windows replaced. What about bullet-proof glass?" Castle queried.

"That's in the movies. Ain't no such thing. Best you can do is bullet resistant, and then it better be damn thick. And after a while, some of that stuff scratches like hell. Not what you want in your crib. Until we throw the big man in a hole, you all should get out of here to someplace safer."

"Where?"

"You need height. Gravity, man. Bullets aimed upward lose their trajectory. Tallest place you can find, surrounded by lower buildings. Put your little guard dogs in place there, and they stand a lot better chance of keeping you all in one piece."

"The Marriott on Broadway near Central Park?" Castle wondered. "They claim to be the tallest hotel in New York."

"Sound right. Get rooms on the top floor. That'll screw with his aim no matter how good he is."

"Thanks, Javi, I owe you one."

"Don't sweat it, Castle. We take care of our own."

* * *

Castle didn't even ask the price of the extended stay suite on the 65th floor; he just offered the number of his titanium card. It would be a longer trip for him and Beckett to get to the precinct and for Alexis to get to school. The hotel was closer to Martha's theater, but in either case, the distance didn't matter. They'd be protected all the way. And Esposito had proclaimed there was nowhere from which even he could make a shot into the new Castle and company quarters. If Espo was willing to admit that, Castle was sure that no sniper Bracken could hire would be able to either - even if one was able to discover where they were. And only his security company, Esposito, and Ryan knew, so there was a good, if not perfect chance of keeping the location under wraps. The suite had a kitchenette, and the hotel had a grocery shopping service. He and the ladies could hunker down. They might even enjoy it.

Neither Martha nor Alexis had shown any surprise that Rick and Kate had chosen to share the suite's master bedroom. Kate had been spending very little time in the guest room at the loft, and the intimacy of the couple's relationship had become more than evident. If Castle's mother and daughter worried about anything concerning Kate, it would be that he would get himself killed shadowing her, but they'd both been coping with that since he'd first become a consultant for the N.Y.P.D. At least now he was taking active steps to stay out of the range of a bullet. That was a step forward.

* * *

Bracken paced the floor of his office in Washington D.C. New York had become way too hot. The constitution protected him from arrest on the floor of the Senate, or in transit to and from the chamber. That prohibition didn't apply to felonies, but so far, he'd been charged with nothing. If Maddox could take out Beckett and Castle, that situation might hold, if not, he'd have enough of a heads up to make a run for it.

He didn't want to leave the country. He'd spent decades consolidating his power base. He had enough money stashed offshore to live in comfort in many non-extradition nations, but he enjoyed being the one to pull strings. He had no intention of abandoning his position if he could avoid it. He had expected Maddox to execute his assignment by that time, but the man was painstaking and deliberate. Better that than another miss."

* * *

"Do you know who the hell I am?" Erik King demanded. "I have connections at the highest levels. This is a false arrest, Detective. You're going to lose your badge."

Kate stared placidly across the table. "The only one here with anything to lose, Mr. King, is you. There is nothing false about your arrest. We have you cold for soliciting multiple arsons as well as attempted murder. That's more years in prison than you have left on your life."

"Not after my lawyers get through with you and your buddy, there," King insisted, inclining his head at Castle. "Whatever evidence you think you have will never make it to a jury. And the lawsuit I'm going to file will have both of you eating ramen for the rest of your lives."

"I like ramen," Castle interjected. "Never would have survived my early student days if I didn't, but that's irrelevant to the cuisine you'll be consuming upstate."

Kate leaned across the table, her expression commanding that Erik meet her gaze. "Mr. King, good men and women died because of the failures and outright graft of you and your company. But that all ends right here. Whatever influence protected you cannot do so now. You attempted to kill a police officer and a lot of innocent citizens. The N.Y.P.D. will not let that slide, neither will the D.A. You can call in all the big shot attorneys you like. They'll all tell you the same thing I'm going to tell you right now. You have one chance and one chance only of preserving anything that's left of your life. Give us the man behind you. Anything else and you die behind bars."

* * *

Castle sipped an excellent Bordeaux provided by room service. "Simmons's lawyers and King's lawyers are negotiating with the D.A. Care to guess who'll come to an agreement first?"

Kate sighed, dropping wearily to the edge of the brocade topped king-sized bed. "Castle, I don't care. I just want it to be over. Beautiful as this place is, I want to get back to normal, or as normal as anything ever is with you."

"I wouldn't mind going home either," Castle confessed. "I miss my totem."

"What totem, Castle?"

"Linus, the poster of the lion on the wall of the bedroom. He's the first thing I bought with my royalty money from "In a Hail of Bullets."

"Ooh, Castle, he's one thing I don't miss. His eyes follow me everywhere I go in the room."

"I know right? They follow me too. It keeps me alert."

"It keeps me creeped out."

"Then why didn't you say something before?" Castle asked.

"Castle, it's your home and your room. I'm just a visitor. I don't have the right to criticize your décor, eclectic as it may be."

Placing his glass on a bedside table, Castle sat beside her. Brushing back her hair, he caressed her cheek. You're a lot more than a visitor, Kate. You're the yin to my yang - or maybe it's the other way around. You're more than a partner, more than a lover. You're my heart. When we get back, I can always switch Linus with the elephant in my office. Tusky can be your totem. Deal?"

"Only if I get to rename him. How about Horton? I've always been fond of hearing The Who."

Castle grinned. "Deal."


	18. Chapter 18

Finding Her Hero

Chapter 18

"As long as we're here, we might as well get comfortable," Castle proposed. He wiggled an eyebrow. "I don't suppose you brought…?"

Kate strode over to her hastily packed suitcase and pulled out her silk kimono. "You mean this?"

Castle's grin widened. "Yes. It must be very comfortable, the way it flows over every curve; so soft, so inviting."

"How about you, Castle? Did you bring your favorite PJ's?"

"Depends on what you mean by favorite. The ones I can snuggle down in on a cold winter's night or the ones you pull off me, so you can heat me up yourself?"

Kate's tongue rounded her lips as she began to unbutton her blouse. "Definitely the latter." She let her clothes slip to the plush carpeting. Quickly donning the alluring garment, she wrapped her arms around his neck and draped herself across his lap."

Castle nipped at her neck. "Getting warmer by the second."

Kate tugged at his shirt. "Then you don't need this."

"No, I don't," he agreed, helping her ease it over his head.

Kate reached for the cord on his pants. "And I don't think you need these."

"Very true."

"You don't need what's under them either."

"Also, true. Getting hotter all the time."

Kate licked his mouth. "Any cooler?"

"I think steam is rising."

"Then we should enjoy a good sweat."

Castle sampled her lips. "I'm definitely going to enjoy it." He was pushed flat on the bed as she straddled him, her tongue thrusting and twining with his.

She gasped as he reached up between her legs. "You're getting better at doing that left-handed all the time."

"Good to know, but how about something that needs no ambidexterity. Are you ready?"

"Babe, I was ready before we started."

Kate's head fell back, her hair flying as if she was riding a wild stallion. The luxurious bower squeaked a protest but went unheard. Encased it a self-made fog, she and Rick could do nothing but respond to the ever-building urgency that drove them. Air rushed from Kate's lungs as a jolt overcame her, the aftershocks rippling through her body. Castle went limp beneath her, panting. "That was amazing!"

Castle," Kate purred. "The night is still young."

* * *

Maddox stared at his monitor. "Fuck!" There was no sign of a glow. The Castle loft was empty. He'd lost his chance at sweet and easy kills. He'd had a bad feeling when he'd noticed that Castle's rent-a-cops were gone, but now he'd confirmed that his targets had disappeared as well. Worse, he had no idea where to find them. But his employer might. The man would not be pleased that Maddox had not yet completed his assignment, but that couldn't be helped. The assassin pulled his secure phone from the pocket of his pants and pushed the contact icon.

Bracken smacked the surface of his desk hard enough to redden his palm. "You lost them? I'm not paying a premium for failure, Maddox, but I've still got eyes and ears in the city. I'll get back to you when I know where they are."

The cell in Sergeant Timkins' locked drawer chirped. There was only one person who would call that number and Timkins didn't want to talk to him. The dominoes were falling. Simmons' operation had been broken. The writing was on the wall as to who'd be taken down next. But Timkins had no choice. He still didn't know how Bracken had uncovered his secret, but as long as he held it, Timkins would be following his orders. The sergeant answered the call.

"Beckett and Castle have abandoned his loft," Bracken hissed. "Where the hell are they?"

Timkins' hand fisted in the fabric of his pants. "I don't know sir. Castle's loaded. He could have taken her anywhere. Word around here is the looks that pass between those two say a lot more than partner if you know what I mean."

"If you mean he's screwing her, that's not new information, Timkins. I need you to find them for me."

"If it can wait until morning, I won't have to," Timkins explained. "Beckett is still on the duty roster. She should be here bright and early with Castle right behind her. The two of them never stop."

"No, dammit, they don't. Contact me as soon as they make an appearance."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

The night was over too soon. The shower at the hotel was refreshing, even if the water pressure at the elevation of Kate and Rick's luxurious refuge was a little low. Kate and Rick emerged from it, starving. Breakfast had already arrived, courtesy of an order conscientiously placed by Alexis the night before. Castle reached gratefully for a mug of coffee. 'Flavor Country,' this place just moved up in the rating I'm going to give it on Yelp."

Kate sampled the brew. "Not as good as yours."

"It is missing a vital ingredient," Castle agreed. "When we get to the precinct I can show you."

Kate's eyes widened. "You would give me your secret formula?"

"I can't think of anyone more deserving."

Kate checked her watch. "We should get on our way soon. My shift starts in an hour."

"The call of duty never ceases."

Timkins pulled out his phone as soon as Kate and Rick entered the elevator at the 12th. He texted two words: "They're here."

* * *

Maddox hunched in a car parked as close as he could get to the precinct. There was no way he would take Beckett and Castle out there. It would be a suicide mission, and no fee was high enough if he couldn't live to spend it. But he would be patient, even if Bracken was not. He'd follow them to wherever they'd been hiding and figure it out from there. There was always a time, a place, a vulnerability. He'd never failed to take down a target, and he wasn't about to start. He thumbed through the selections of music on his phone. Choosing a beat that reminded him of blood pumping through veins, ready to spurt forth at the impact of his bullets, he let the trance music wash over him.

* * *

That has to have been one of our most boring days," Castle declared. "I can't believe the lawyers for Simmons and King haven't reached deals with the D.A. yet."

"They're dragging things out, Castle. That's what lawyers do. My mother never went in for that sort of thing. Neither does my dad. But they were always talking about how so many of the other lawyers they knew cared about nothing but billable hours. It'll happen. I checked. Bracken was on the floor of the Senate this morning pretending to be an environmental crusader. He's not going anywhere. We'll get him."

"I can't believe this new Beckett calm I'm detecting here. Was it the yoga stretches you were doing after the moist magnificence of your lunch hour workout? Of which I enjoyed every minute of my observations, by the way."

"No, I'm just beginning to realize that I'm coming to the end of a long road, Castle. Ever since my mother was murdered, that's what my life has been all about. And now that it looks like we're finally going to be able to get justice for her, I'm not sure what's going to be driving me next. I mean, what if I'm not as good a cop anymore?"

"Kate, I'm sure that you will be the best at whatever you do. But, when the time comes, you'll find the right road. I just hope I will still be at your side."

"Yeah, Castle. I hope so too."


	19. Chapter 19

Finding Her Hero

Chapter 19

Maddox watched as Beckett and Castle entered the Marriott. "Shit!" They'd found the high ground. His rifle would be useless there, unless he got them to come out. An idea began to form in his head. A mass exodus from the hotel, with total confusion would be the way. He could set up on the lower roof of the sister building of the complex. Then when the residents poured out, sight his target. In the ensuing panic, he could leave the roof and blend in with the milling crowd. He just needed munitions he didn't normally carry with him, but he had them lovingly stored in his armory. As usual, Castle's guards were on watch. Maddox expected the couple would stay put while he retrieved what he needed. It would not take long. This would be the night he would earn the rest of his payday.

* * *

Castle scanned the suite's leather-bound binder of nearby food delivery services. Anybody in the mood for Italian?" he queried.

"Sorry Richard," Martha replied, "I'm fasting before my performance. I've decided my body should express a needier look. And the company is having a birthday party for Carla, the sweeter ingenue, after the show. We're going to The Golden Curtain."

"As long as I can have the Grace Parisi salad instead of pasta," Alexis answered. "I'm studying for a history test tonight and I don't want anything making me sleepy."

Castle turned to Beckett. "Kate?"

"Whatever you want, Castle. But tell them to hold the garlic bread," she added winking.

The corners of his mouth rose lopsidedly. "Copy that."

Alexis hurried through her salad, and went to her room, leaving Kate and Rick to linger over their meal. Castle wiped a dribble of Alfredo sauce from his lips and laid the heavy cloth napkin on the table. "Not a bit of garlic, just the savory satisfaction of Parmesan in rich creamy goodness."

Kate ran her foot up his leg, under the table. "I've always been a fan of creamy goodness."

"Really?" Castle questioned. "That's not what you said when I bought the espresso machine for the band in the bullpen."

"I lied," she admitted, "about a lot of things."

"I know," Castle acknowledged. "You were fighting tooth and nail against any connection. What changed, Kate?"

"Castle, I had convinced myself that I was better off not needing anyone. People I needed left me. Even when I was with Josh, I knew our lives were independent and I could manage fine without him. But if you hadn't made that dive for Lockwood, he would have killed me. And you didn't do it because you were a cop who'd sworn to protect the citizens of this city. You did it for me. Every time I look at you, I can see you taking him on with your bare hands. You saved me, and Esposito and Ryan. I needed you, Castle. I still do, more every day. I thought it would just hurt more to need someone, but it's the healing I've been needing ever since my mother died."

Castle cradled her face in his hand. "Kate, I don't know what to say to that."

Kate covered his hand with her own. "Just be with me Castle."

"I'd never want to be anywhere else."

* * *

Maddox surveyed the locker where he stored his prodigious cache of weaponry. He grabbed what he needed and stuffed it into a military duffel bag. It was only a few miles back to the hotel, but the traffic was heavy, and it was well into the night when he set up on the lower building adjacent to the tower that held Beckett and Castle. It didn't matter where in the hotel he shot his payload, it would have the same effect. It would be the easiest shot he had made in years.

The incendiary grenades found their marks and fire alarms began to shriek. Hotel staff did their best to follow the emergency evacuation plan and make sure all the guests were out, as the F.D.N.Y. arrived. Using high powered binoculars, Maddox scanned the crowd of patrons who were being directed away from the soaring structure. He spotted Castle first, his solid frame standing out from most of the milling confusion that surrounded him. Beckett was less than a foot away from him, as was his daughter, who would be fatherless before the echo of rifle shots died away. But the bitch would die first.

Rick saw the tiny patch of red light that painted the center of Kate's forehead. He pushed her aside as the crack of weapon fire exploded through the night. "Everyone down," Kate shouted, throwing herself on top of Alexis, as another shot sounded. Maddox struggled to spot his targets, but they were surrounded by a panicked mass. He could fire at random, hoping to hit them, but that would just delay his own escape. He grabbed his weapons and retreated.

Kate cautiously lifted her head. "Castle, I think it's stopped. If he was just reloading, he would have done it by now. There were marked units that came with the firefighters. They would have called in backup. ESU should be getting here any minute."

How about medics?" Castle asked.

Kate turned to him. "They would have come with the firefighters. Do you see anyone who's been shot?"

"Dad!" Alexis exclaimed seeing the dark stain spreading on the shoulder of Castle's hastily donned hotel robe."

"Not see, but I'm beginning to feel it." Castle replied ruefully. "At least it's the same arm."

* * *

Martha ran into the hospital room where Kate and Alexis were already at Castle's side. "What the hell happened?"

"Mother, the doctor said it's not much more than a graze. No lasting damage. It'll probably heal before my hand does. The hospital's just keeping me overnight for observation."

"But you were still shot!" Martha declared. "Katherine, has the animal who did this been caught?"

"Not yet Martha. Ryan and Esposito have been keeping on top of it for me. ESU found the roof he shot from and every cop the city can spare is canvassing, checking security video and looking for evidence. The fire department already found pieces of the grenades he used to start the fires that caused the hotel to be evacuated. It's the first time we've had a trail to follow to this guy. It's only a matter of time now, before we get him."

"And what happens until then?" Martha demanded. "Even if the fire department would allow it, we can't go back to the hotel with a crazy gunman still out there. And Richard insisted the loft wasn't safe."

"Martha, I'm going to stay here with Rick for the night. But I can have a unit take you and Alexis to an N.Y.P.D. safe house," Kate replied. "We can join you there tomorrow, if the shooter hasn't been caught by then."

"I'm staying right here until Dad's ready to go," Alexis insisted.

"As am I," Martha agreed.

Castle hid a smile with his good hand. "What can I tell you, Kate? Stubbornness is a family trait."

"I've noticed that," Kate agreed.

"But we should let Richard get some rest," Martha counseled. "Alexis and I will give you two a minute. We'll be right outside."

Kate reached down and brushed a strand of hair from Rick's forehead. "Castle I'm sorry, this is all my fault. If you hadn't pushed me out of the way…"

"You'd be dead," Castle finished, pointing to his wounded arm. "Kate I can live with this. But I'm not sure I could have lived with losing you."


	20. Chapter 20

Finding Her Hero

Chapter 20

There wasn't much room in Castle's hospital bed, but neither Rick nor Kate minded the tight fit as he held her against his side. An aide had directed Alexis and Martha to a family room where there were sleeping facilities, leaving Kate and Rick by themselves. His brain numbed by pain medication, Castle drifted in and out of awareness. Kate slept fitfully, sensing his every move.

Ryan and Esposito did not sleep at all. They had worked with CSU under portable floodlights to cover every millimeter of the roof from which the shots and grenades had been fired. They were rewarded when Ryan found a buckle half hidden in the gravelly surface, that Esposito recognized as coming from the strap of a grenade launcher. A fingerprint identified the shooter as an army ranger specializing in black ops. He'd been released from the military on unspecified psychological grounds. There were no official records from that point, but there had been rumors that he'd worked overseas as a mercenary before returning to the states. Every second of video in the area of the shooting was scrubbed for his image, and he'd been spotted getting into a car in the hotel parking lot. From there on, Ryan laboriously traced him through traffic cam footage, while Esposito pored over whatever unofficial information he'd managed to beg from his military connections, to extract details on the shooter's habits.

The picture Esposito constructed was chilling, even to his battle hardened eyes. Cedric Marks, aka Cole Maddox, had been the best of the best but had gone off the rails. There had been rumors that he had tortured locals for information. There had also been some talk that he'd enjoyed inflicting pain on his sexual partners, more than he'd enjoyed the act itself. Marks had been discharged to avoid the embarrassment to the army from what would have come out in a court-martial. Someone with access to unredacted military records who was looking for a candidate who would kill without scruples would have pegged him as the perfect hire.

Ryan sprang from his perch in front of the large-screen monitor in the tech room. "Javi, I found him! He drove to one of the corporate long-term motels uptown. I've got the address."

Kate's cellphone buzzed. Reaching to retrieve it from the roll-up table next to the bed, she accepted the call from Esposito. "Listen, Beckett; we know where the shooter is. Ryan and I are going with the ESU squad to get him. Wanna be in on the takedown?"

Castle winced as he shifted to look questioningly at Kate, who quickly explained. He reached up to caress her bed-mussed hair. "Then you'd better find some clothes somewhere."

Kate gazed down at the nubby wrapper she'd grabbed before fleeing the motel, and still wore. "Yeah, I guess I should."

"But Kate," Castle cautioned as she climbed out of their bed, "don't get too close. Promise me you'll let the guys with the helmets and the assault rifles go after this bastard." He pointed to the bandage on his shoulder." After all we've been through, don't give him a chance to take you from me now."

Kate leaned in to press her lips to his. "I promise."

* * *

Kate wanted to be at least a little closer to the action but had barely made it as far as she did. With no badge or weapon and in scrubs and a borrowed jacket, the most she could do was take a position leaning against Ryan and Esposito's unit and watch through binoculars.

From the window of his suite, Maddox observed the men ringing the building. They weren't rangers, but the would still be deadly. Even armored as they were, he could take some of them down, but not enough to avoid being taken out himself. He'd known men who had relished the idea of going out in a blaze of glory. He'd never bought into that kind of romantic shit. His primary objective had always been to survive. He pulled a white sheet from his bed and displayed it in the window. As soon as he was sure it had been seen, he walked out of the motel with his hands behind his head and knelt on the ground.

* * *

Kate was beginning to feel whole again. She had managed to retrieve both her badge and her weapon from the hotel, as well as clothing and luggage. Fortunately, neither smoke nor flames had come close to the 65th floor. Alexis and Martha had returned to the loft, under the eyes of a security detail. His arm was in a sling, but Castle sat on Kate's right in interrogation. A.D.A. Toni Gonzales sat to her left. Maddox was immobilized with chains connecting the cuffs on his wrists to the shackles on his ankles.

"Mr. Maddox, or should I call you Mr. Marks," Toni began, "you claim that you have information we need to bring down a major bad actor. And who would that be?"

"First, I want assurances that I'll be protected," Maddox returned.

"We don't give a damn what you want, Cedric," Kate interjected. "You set a hotel on fire and shot into an area jammed with people. That's an attempted murder on every member of that crowd, starting with myself." She inclined her head at Rick. "Plus, assault with a deadly weapon on Mr. Castle. We could throw you in a hole so deep they'd have to dig to you from China, so you don't get any assurances. All you get is one very slim chance to try to save your ass."

"Who's your boss?" Toni demanded. "Who ordered the hit on Detective Beckett?"

"Bracken. Senator William H. Bracken."

* * *

Timkins knew he was finished. He'd felt it coming when Simmons and King had been nailed, but when Maddox was collared that was the end of the road. He had no doubt that his connection would be uncovered. Once it became known that he was not only dirty but had betrayed other cops, there would be nowhere to hide from the bitch Victoria Gates who ran IAD. He would not only be disgraced; he would be in prison. He knew what happened to cops in prison. Sooner or later he'd be as dead as McCallister, after suffering through a hell worse than the one where God might send him. At this point, he could only hope that atheists were right and a quick end would be a final end, to everything. Carefully, he wrote out a confession He also he put down everything he knew about William Bracken and his web of operations. Timkins slipped the papers into an express envelope addressed to the New York Ledger. After depositing the missive into a pickup box, he went home. He drank his favorite beer. He smoked one of the cigarettes he'd given up years ago and ate some real bacon, not the turkey stuff his doctor had recommended. He wrote a note that simply said, "I'm sorry," and left it on the table beside his favorite chair. After lovingly covering the beat-up recliner in plastic, he gently placed a record on the turntable he'd saved from his student days and put the phonograph arm over a chosen groove. As the strains of "The Green Green Grass of Home" filled the room, he leaned back, cradled in plastic covered leather, stuck his gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger. A disgruntled neighbor who couldn't get any attention when banging on Timkins' door to tell him to turn off the interminable skipping and repetition of the same two words from an old needle stuck on old vinyl, called the police.


	21. Chapter 21

Finding Her Hero

Chapter 21

It had been too long since Bracken heard from Maddox or Timkins. The hotel fire and shooting had captured the news cycle, but it was all cellphone videos and talking heads struggling to fill air time until some real information emerged. The cops were keeping a tight lid on the investigation. What had been released was that there weren't any deaths. If the hotel had been Maddox's operation, it was a total failure.

Bracken had readied his escape plan, hoping he'd never have to use it. He'd considered taking his wife, but she would just slow him down. She'd served her purpose as window dressing for the public-spirited senator pursuing his noble causes. Unless the situation changed very quickly, he had no need for her anymore. Where he was going there would be plenty of women - with willing hands and open but silent mouths. But things could still turn around. There was still time.

* * *

"Are you ready to go?" Castle asked.

Castle, I've been ready for 19 years," Kate assured him. "Are you sure you're feeling up to the trip?"

"Kate, I've never been better, but I do thank you for the assist in getting some more presentable clothes on. I thought I might have to hire a valet, and it wouldn't be nearly as much fun to have him help me remove them. Are we sure of where Bracken is going to try to run?"

"When we got his call list after we traced his communications with Maddox, the plan was pretty clear. We'll be waiting for him."

"A mal voyage party. I wonder if streamers and confetti would be appropriate?"

"Castle, if anything is going to be thrown at him, it's going to be the book. And if we're going to make that flight out of Teterboro, we'd better get moving."

* * *

Bracken was barely awake when a news alert chimed on his phone. Adrenaline surged as he looked at the image that came to the screen. That motherfucking Timkins! The quick death The Ledger had reported had been too merciful. But Bracken had no time left to worry about that. The clock had not only run out; he was fighting to make points in overtime. His fingers were uncharacteristically unsure as he withdrew all the cash from the floor safe in his office. He would need it to pay for everything until he was out of U.S. jurisdiction. The soon to be fugitive had no doubt his cards had been tagged. He double-checked that the GPS in his phone was disabled. No one would be able to track his movements. A cab would transport him to the private helipad where a copter would be waiting to ferry him to a ship that waited in international waters. He would spend some time on a private island before moving on to a destination in the Middle East, but he'd had yet to decide on which country. It would have to be one that allowed non-Muslims to drink alcohol. He wasn't about to give up that consolation. And most important, it would be a nation where there were no rebellious bitches like Kate Beckett. Women would do what they were God damned told.

* * *

Even without spinning blades, the helipad was windy. Castle enjoyed watching Kate as the breeze gathered up her hair - whether she like the term or not. His own strands were wild, but there would be no paparazzi to trumpet his dishevelment on Page 6. This show would be Kate's not his. He was merely her most emphatic cheering section.

* * *

Bracken knew something was off even before his cab pulled up at his departure point. There were way too many people there. He was about to tell the taxi to turn around when two metro units blocked its retreat. He couldn't fail to recognize the willowy figure coming toward the vehicle where he cowered. It was Kate Beckett. In the end, it was inevitable that it would be Kate Beckett.

* * *

Castle worked his fingers as the orthopedist examined his hand, newly freed from its plaster prison. As I told you before, Mr. Castle," Dr. Amy Wilder explained, "you'll need physical therapy to restore full function to that hand. I understand you're already receiving some for your shoulder. Combining the sessions should be possible. That will save you some time."

"Good, because I have a busy schedule coming up."

"So, I read in The Ledger," Wilder replied. "Will you be attending all of Senator Bracken's trial?"

"Every moment of it. I want to see the look on his face as every piece of evidence is presented, and every witness testifies. It will also make a great book."

Wilder looked up from the notations she was making on her tablet. "If it is as good as your others, I imagine it will."

"I'll send you a copy." He held up his right hand. "Autographed with this."

* * *

Kate searched through all the filmy creations she'd stashed in the space she'd taken over in Castle's dresser. None of them seemed right for that night. Not only was she anticipating feeling the touch of both of Castle's hands, but visions of what the next morning would bring filled her mind. Answering the demands of the public by Facebook posts and Twitter-storms, the trial would be televised. Every dirty secret Bracken had kept for decades would be exposed. She hoped that somehow her mother knew. Jim Beckett did. She hadn't seen her father so animated since before her mother died. He and Castle, the men who meant so much in her life, would both be at her side in court during the leave of absence she was taking to be present during all the proceedings. They would be a solid presence, a steadying force at the rage she knew she'd feel at any defense Bracken's stable of attorneys tried to offer.

But then what? The question kept intruding on her mind. What would follow the quest that had consumed her for over two decades? She shook off her doubts. There was a fabulous boutique on Broadway that had just what she pictured draping her body when she and Castle would come together. It would be a night to revel in, for both of them.

* * *

Castle stared slack-jawed at the sleek gown Kate wore. It wasn't her usual style. The magnificent garment was long, flowing over everything from her neck to her toes. The fabric was opaque, but the surface shimmered with an ever-changing array of color. Nothing peeked through, but her form had never appeared more exquisite. And it would be fully revealed as he slipped the silky covering from her body inch by exquisite inch.

There was no twinge in Castle's shoulder as he lifted Kate in his arms and laid her on the bed. For a moment, he stood immobile, just gazing at her. She reached out for him, and he gratefully accepted the invitation. He wasn't ready to support himself on his arms yet, but he lay next to her and pulled her against him, his heat radiating through his clothes. She tugged at the buckle of his belt. He grinned, "I can do that. And I'll enjoy being able to manipulate it myself." Kate started on the buttons of his shirt while he pushed the pants away, but he finished the job, pulling it from his torso, to be quickly followed by the T-shirt underneath. His tongue took its first taste of the skin just above Kate's shimmering garment pushing it downward as his questing mouth followed. He moved slowly, savoring salty tang and velvety texture, as she thrust against him, need to need. He held her as the softness of his lips met the epicenter of her desire. Her hands dug into the dense muscle that curved toward his thighs as she gulped air, feeding the flood of sensation that swept through her. "Oh God, Rick, now!"

He pulled her astride his hips, joining and retreating in synchronized rhythm. She bucked, her back arching, urging him ever deeper. The drill broke through the final barrier, freeing a gusher to erupt, enveloping them both in the sweet waves of its power. Kate collapsed into the embrace of his arms, the afterglow guiding them to dreams of victory and passion.


	22. Chapter 22

Finding Her Hero

Chapter 22

The anticipation of the trial of a U.S. senator for decades of deadly crime had captured not only New York but the entire nation. Parts of the action would be carried on broadcast television and cable, but every moment would be streamed and archived. D.A. Alan Schiffman had decided to prosecute the case himself. Kate watched with satisfaction from an assigned seat that had been given to her as both a potential victim and family of one, as Schiffman gave his opening argument. He outlined the tape, the documents, the final words of Sergeant Timkins and the testimony the jury would hear from both Vulcan Simmons and Cedric Marks. His remarks took most of the morning, and Kate was ravenous as she, Castle, and Jim Beckett went to lunch after the judge called a recess.

Food at the court cafeteria was infamously awful, a rumored attempt to make sure trial participants were not late returning to court. Kate led the group to a deli three blocks away where the fare was served as rapidly but was considerably more palatable. "Schiffman is doing a good job," she offered as she reached for the dill pickle spear that accompanied her thick corned beef sandwich.

"He is," Jim Beckett agreed, "but the judge will make sure that the jury understands that nothing in the opening statements of the state or the defense is to be taken as evidence. And I've never witnessed his performance, but I understand that Abraham Logan, the first chair for the Bracken's side is quite a spellbinder, a present-day F. Lee Bailey. He's managed to put a lot of criminals back on the street, who should have never walked free again. Schiffman has a tough job to do."

"But Schiffman has so much to work with," Castle protested. "Marsha Clark's mountain of evidence against O.J. was nothing compared to what Schiffman's been handed on a golden platter."

Kate sighed. "My dad's right, Castle. I've seen killers get off or have their charges reduced to almost nothing on the weirdest technicalities. And I have seen Logan in action. He is too good. But there is a long list of charges against Bracken. We'll just have to hope Schiffman can make enough of them stick."

When court had been called back to order, Abraham Logan took his place in front of the jury. He challenged Schiffman's case element by element. He called the tape Kate and Rick had found into question. He disparaged the testimony that would come from Simmons and Maddox as the self-serving fiction of criminals gaming the system. The lawyer expressed regrets at the untimely death of Timkins but declared that there was little evidence to back up the story the deceased cop had sent to The Ledger.

As Kate grasped his hand, Castle could feel her grip tightening as Logan expressed point after point and the jury regarded him with rapt attention. Her face flushed, and the temperature of her skin rose. He wanted to offer comfort, but other than providing the support of his presence there was nothing he could do.

By the time Logan finished his narrative, the courtroom clock was approaching 5 p.m. The judge set the time for the trial to resume in the morning and declared an adjournment for the day. Covering her mouth, Kate exited the courtroom and ran toward the ladies' room.

Jim Beckett regarded his daughter as she emerged from women only territory. Her skin had paled, and the front of her blouse was damp. "Katie?"

Castle lightly stroked her whitened cheek. "Are you all right?"

"Castle, I'm not going to be all right until that jury comes back with a guilty verdict."

 **Three Months Later**

"Will the forewoman please read the verdict," the judge instructed.

Lydia Persky's voice rang through the courtroom as she worked her way through the litany of charges against William Bracken. He had been found not guilty on three-quarters of them, including the murder of Johanna Beckett, but he was still guilty of enough of them to enable a judge to justify a sentence of several lifetimes.

Kate's teeth drew blood from her lip as the judge pronounced court adjourned and the room emptied. The anger in Jim Beckett's eyes was eerily reflected in those of his daughter, but he tried to put the best face he could on the outcome. "He's still going away for life, Katie. The reason doesn't matter. He's getting what's coming to him."

"But it's not justice for her," Kate argued. "After everything Castle and I went through to get that tape into evidence, Logan convinced the jury to ignore it. That shouldn't happen."

Castle gathered Kate into his arms and stood silently as her tears soaked his shirt.

* * *

"So now what?" Castle inquired as Kate downed the two fingers of scotch he'd poured for her from his stock at the loft. "Are you going back to the precinct tomorrow?"

"I guess so, Castle, for the time being. Ryan and Espo have been hustling to keep up while I've been on leave. It wasn't fair to them. I need to pick up the slack, at least until Montgomery can get another detective trained in."

"Kate, what other detective? What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about leaving the N.Y.P.D., Castle. So much of what we do comes to nothing. I want to make more of a difference than that."

"Kate, how? You have the best clearance rate in the city."

"I want to go to law school, Castle, like I planned to do before Bracken derailed everything. Columbia, like my parents did, if they'll take me."

"Do you want to be a civil rights attorney, like your mother?"

Kate shook her head. "No. Castle, what my mother did was great, but it's not what I want to do. She saw the injustice on one side. I see it on the other. The work of cops, good cops, counts for nothing because charges are thrown out, bargained away or dismissed. Lawyers like Logan beat prosecutors every day. I want to be better than they are, Castle. I want to be better than Schiffman. I want to get the slime off the streets and keep it off."

Castle pressed her hand between both of his. "Kate, I haven't a doubt that if you want to be the most successful prosecutor the world has ever seen, you can make it happen. What's your plan?"

"I'd have to pay for law school, and after the trial, I don't have much left in my savings. There's a small trust my mother left for me, but it won't be enough. I thought I'd sell my apartment."

"Kate you don't have to. I can help you with the money. I wouldn't have nearly as much of it if you didn't inspire Nikki Heat."

"Castle, I want to. I hardly spend any time there anymore anyway."

"For which I am profoundly grateful."

"Yeah, me too. And I need to know I'm making my own future happen or else I'll never have the confidence to follow through."

Castle nodded slowly. "I get it. But you know, Kate, if you're going to be hanging around here anyway, we might as well make it official." Castle dropped to one knee.

Kate's eyebrows rose as her mouth gaped. "Castle, what are you doing?"

"Kate, I don't have a ring in my pocket. As the fierce and independent woman, I adore, I thought you might want major input into the choice. But Katherine Houghton Beckett, will you stay with me and be my love? Will you marry me?"

"Yes, Richard Edgar Castle, I will."


	23. Chapter 23

Finding Her Hero

Chapter 23

Esposito brushed crumbs from the front of his shirt. "Oh, man! I can't believe this is Beckett's last day."

"Or that she and Castle are getting married tomorrow," Ryan continued. "I don't know how they put a wedding together that fast."

"It's easy when you've got money - and a house in The Hamptons," Esposito declared.

"That's true," Ryan agreed. "They didn't need to book a church or a hall. But it was nice for Castle to spring for our tuxedos and say we could keep them. Jenny really likes the way I look in mine."

Esposito stirred sugar into his coffee. "Jenny likes the way you look in anything, even those stupid sweater vests you like to wear."

"At least I didn't catch bronchitis this winter, like someone else I could name."

Detective Grant (Sully) Sullivan wandered in and gleefully grabbed the last jelly doughnut from the box on the counter. "Tomorrow's the big day, huh guys? Wish I was going, but Montgomery put me on duty. I guess that's just part of being the new guy."

"Yeah, all the crap goes to the new guy," Esposito agreed. "And when you finish stuffing that in your mouth, you can pull the files we need to wrap up our case."

Sully swallowed. "On it."

"There is an upside to losing Beckett, Bro," Esposito mused when Sully had scurried out of the break room. "Instead of her bossing us around, we get to boss Sully around."

"That's true," Ryan agreed. "And at least he left me the doughnut with sprinkles. Beckett would have taken it if is she wasn't making sure she could fit in her wedding gown. But Jenny's seen it, and she says it will be worth it."

* * *

The blower hummed, inflating the portable building set up on the grounds of Castle's beach manse. It was intended to house the reception, but in the event of rain, it could accommodate the ceremony as well. The tables were covered in white linen cloths accented by midnight blue napkins and flower arrangements of blue and white carnations interspersed with irises. A portable dance floor had been laid out and a sound system set up to accommodate a DJ. The head table for the wedding party was on a raised platform.

Lanie and Alexis surveyed the layout. "Are you sure there are enough chairs?" Alexis wondered.

"More than enough, Lanie assured her. "You were out here counting them three times. Everything is perfect, girl, except for the weather. We can turn on the heaters in here and around the ceremony outside if we have to, but it looks like the fog is lifting in more ways than one. I lost a lot of money the first year your father was shadowing Kate, betting they'd be together. Between Sorenson, Demming and Josh, I was beginning to think she'd never see what was right in front of her."

"Yeah, Gram thought Dad would never admit he was following her around for anything except research. It's a wonder they got this far, but I'm glad they did. Dad's not just writing a lot more; he's happier doing it. Gina hasn't had to call to nag him about a deadline in months."

"And your father is keeping Kate from freaking out about her choice to quit the force and go to law school. You're graduating this year. Where are you going to go to college?"

"Columbia, like Kate. But I'll be staying in the dorms. Gram is moving out while Dad and Kate are on their honeymoon. She's been doing pretty well on the stage, and she says it's time my dad and Kate had some privacy. And one of the actors she knows from a soap she was in is moving to L.A. and leaving behind a rent-controlled apartment. She's going to snag it."

"Good for Martha. Where is she?"

"With Kate. She said she's developing sensory memory for a play she's doing called 'Mother of the Bride.' But you know how emotional Kate got about not having her mother around to see her get married. I think Gram is trying to step in to fill the void."

"She's been doing a good job. When she went with Kate and Jenny and me to look for wedding dresses, she spotted one we wouldn't have even noticed. But it looks perfect on Kate. She's going to knock your father's eyes out."

"I think she did that the moment he saw her at the book party for 'Storm Fall,' but she does look gorgeous."

* * *

Kate fingered a tendril that framed her face. "Martha, are you sure this looks right? Maybe I should pin it back."

Martha laid a hand on her soon-to-be daughter-in-law's lace covered arm. "It is perfect, Katherine. Trust me. I may not understand the intricacies of police procedure, despite having guest-starred in 50 episodes on procedurals, but hair and makeup I know. You are going to glow your way down the aisle. But you do need one more thing." Martha opened a velvet covered box.

"Martha, that's the necklace you lent me when Castle and I went to that museum benefit to track down the guy who was tipping off a killer on jewelry he could steal."

"You looked stunning then, and you'll look even more stunning now." The diva extended another smaller box. "There are earrings, too. They have rubies to match the necklace, but also sapphires. They can be your something blue."

Kate kissed the older woman's cheek. "Thank you, Martha."

Martha waved a hand in dismissal. "Well, I can't think of anyone on whom they'd look better. But now I need to fix your lipstick."

* * *

The last of the gray mist that had threatened the gathering burned off just as the Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin was piped over the crowd. Alexis and Jenny Ryan started down the aisle ahead of maid of honor, Lanie Parish. On Jim Beckett's arm, Kate glided behind them.

Castle stood waiting, flanked by best man Roy Montgomery and groomsmen Ryan and Esposito. Jim delivered Kate to her groom's side and stepped back to take a seat beside Martha in the front row.

The mayor of The Hamptons cleared his throat. We are gathered here to join Katherine Houghton Beckett and Richard Edgar Castle in matrimony. I understand that the couple has written their own vows. Please proceed whenever you are ready, Richard."

Roy Montgomery handed Castle a thin gold band which he slipped on Kate's slender finger. "Kate, when you came into my world, I was lost. Not only had I lost the direction for my writing, I had lost the direction of my life. You have been my compass and my joy. I can't imagine a life without you by my side. I promise to love you, honor you, and support you in whatever path you choose, for all the days of our lives."

Lanie handed Kate a thicker version of the band the bride wore. "Castle, when I first brought you to the precinct for questioning, I thought you were a spoiled man-child. I couldn't have been more wrong. I came to understand how you support and care for your family. I have seen you overwhelmed by your compassion for others, and I realized how you were there for me in ways I could have never imagined. You are my shield, my refuge, my love, my hero. I promise to be there for you, whatever life may bring, always.

Finis

A/N Thanks to all my readers for accompanying me on this journey. For my next story, I intend to take a different tack. When Castle came back with amnesia in season seven and Martha insisted that what happened during his absence was a Pandora's box that was better left closed, I always suspected that she knew more than she was telling. There was a backstory to just how Castle got all the information he used to write his Derrick Storm books. It was supposed to be a new Castle mythology, but the idea was dropped because the plan for the Derrick Storm spinoff that Milmar wanted, was nixed. I'd like to explore that mythology and backstory in "Eye of the Storm." Join me for the new story tomorrow. I promise I won't leave Caskett out of the fun.

Love,

Sally


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